Scotland team: Gregor Townsend retains just one starter from ‘second half implosion’ against Argentina to face Tonga
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu and, inset, head coach Gregor Townsend.
Gregor Townsend has retained just a single starter from last weekend’s loss to Argentina – midfielder Sione Tuipulotu – in his team to finish the Autumn Nations Series at home to Tonga on Sunday.
The long-serving head coach, who only agreed to a contract extension in September to take him through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, has been heavily criticised following the second-half implosion versus the Pumas.
Having run the All Blacks close in game two of the four-match November window that began with a facile win over the hapless USA, the Scots butchered a 21-0 lead to lose 24-33, resulting in the players getting booed off by the Murrayfield crowd amid calls for Townsend to resign.
Rather than allow those players to try and redeem themselves, Townsend has opted to only retain Tuipulotu in his starting XV and also keep him as his captain.
“Third cap at fly-half for Fergus Burke…”
The Glasgow midfielder will lead out a Scotland team featuring seven Warriors players, two Edinburgh players, four from the English Premiership and two from the French Top 14.
Three of those – hooker George Turner, winger Duhan van der Merwe and full-back Tom Jordan – have been promoted from last Sunday’s bench to take their places in the near entirely revamped XV that includes a third cap at fly-half for Fergus Burke in place of Finn Russell.
Lock Alex Samuel has also been named for his third appearance alongside fellow Glasgow second-row Max Williamson.
They will pack down behind a front-row consisting of the experienced trio of Rory Sutherland, Turner, who is winning his 50th cap, and Zander Ferguson, who is fit again following the injury that ended his British and Irish Lions tour.
Andy Onyeama-Christie, Jamie Ritchie and Magnus Bradbury are in the back row, while Ben White, who was unavailable last weekend due to illness, will be Burke’s half-back partner.
Joining skipper Tuipulotu in the midfield is his Glasgow teammate Ollie Smith, with winger Kyle Rowe named with Jordan and Van Der Merwe in the back three.
Ewan Ashman and Kyle Steyn, two starters against Argentina, have been named on the bench.
Scotland team to take on Tonga
Scotland: 15 Tom Jordan, 14 Kyle Rowe, 13 Ollie Smith, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fergus Burke, 9 Ben White, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Jamie Ritchie, 6 Andy Onyeama-Christie, 5 Max Williamson, 4 Alex Samuel, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Marshall Sykes, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 George Horne, 22 Stafford McDowall, 23 Kyle Steyn
Date: Sunday, November 23
Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 13:40 GMT (02:40 TOT)
Referee: Luc Ramos (FFR)
Assistant referees: Evan Urruzmendi (FFR), Benoît Rousselet (FFR)
TMO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
FPRO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
