Scotland team: Gregor Townsend swings axe as NO Edinburgh players make starting XV
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend (right) has made several changes to his side for their Calcutta Cup clash with England
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has made four changes to his starting XV to face England this weekend, with no Edinburgh players included in the run-on group.
His changes come in the wake of their disappointing 18-15 defeat to Italy in round one of this year’s Championship, which leaves them a mountain to climb if they want to keep their title hopes alive across the Championship.
Townsend’s side do have recent history on their side, however, winning four of their past five Calcutta Cup Tests against England.
Scotland make mass changes for England clash as Gregor Townsend swings axe
While Townsend has made several changes, the starting backline from that defeat in Rome remains intact, with Tom Jordan, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Jamie Dobie, Finn Russell and Ben White keeping their spots.
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However, that is not the case in the pack, with Townsend’s changes coming up front in the form of Jamie Ritchie, Gregor Brown, George Turner and Nathan McBeth. As a result, Matt Fagerson and Pierre Schoeman drop to the bench, while Grant Gilchrist is taken out of the 23 altogether. Ewan Ashman also misses out through injury.
Elsewhere, Jack Dempsey and Rory Darge feature in the back-row alongside Ritchie, with Scott Cummings also slotting in alongside Brown in the locks. Zander Fagerson is the sole survivor from last weekend’s starting front-row.
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Turner’s promotion into the Scotland starting XV sees Dave Cherry come onto the bench alongside the aforementioned Schoeman and Fagerson. They are joined by Elliot Millar Mills, Max Williamson, George Horne, Adam Hastings and Darcy Graham.
There is still no room for Duhan van der Merwe or Blair Kinghorn in the 23.
Scotland team v England in full
Starting XV: 15 Tom Jordan, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Jamie Dobie, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Gregor Brown, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Nathan McBeth
Replacements: 16 Dave Cherry, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 George Horne, 22 Adam Hastings, 23 Darcy Graham
Date: Saturday, 14 February, 2026
Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
Assistant Referees: Andrea Piardi (FIR), Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
