Wales & Scotland teams: Winners and losers as returning duo handed ‘golden chalice’ while British and Irish Lion’s axing ‘the start of a wider transition’
Duhan van der Merwe (left) and Adam Beard (right) feature in our list of winners and losers this weekend.
Following the announcement of Scotland’s and Wales’ 23-man squads, here are our winners and losers from Gregor Townsend’s and Steve Tandy’s selections.
Winners
Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn
There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the omissions of Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn this Six Nations, but the pair have been given a golden chalice this weekend as they look to retake their spots in the starting XV.
The British and Irish Lions duo could not have asked for a better chance to impress, either, with Scotland brimming with confidence after their win over England and coming in against an out-of-form Wales, but they will still need to be at the top of their game to continue in this side.
We all know what both men can bring to this team, with Kinghorn that crucial extra playmaker in the backfield and a big threat on the counter-attack, while Van der Merwe also brings serious razzle-dazzle to this Scottish attack and always seems to be in the right place at the right time to score, but their earlier omissions suggest Townsend is after something extra from the pair of them.
Wales will likely turn to their kicking game once again this weekend, as they look to build a new attacking identity, and could easily look to target the pair in the air as a result. If they come through this challenge unscathed, they could carry on through the rest of the Six Nations. If not, they could once again be left in the cold.
Scottish prop duo
While Scotland will certainly look back fondly at their win over England, starting props Nathan McBeth and Zander Fagerson were put under serious pressure at scrum time and things only improved in that department when they were off the pitch.
It could easily be a blip, with England’s scrum quickly becoming one of the best in the world, and we all know what Fagerson in particular can do at Test level in the set-piece, but this is a massive show of faith in the pairing, both as individuals and as a unit, that they will need to repay.
Replacement props Pierre Schoeman and Elliot Millar Mills also made a big impact in the scrum last weekend, and will look to do the same this time around too, so the starting duo need to fix up whatever those issues were from last weekend if they want to continue in their shirts.
Matt Fagerson
Matt Fagerson was one of many taken out of the starting XV following the loss in Rome, but he is back in the mix after both an impressive individual display off the bench against England and the untimely injury to Jack Dempsey.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
The Glasgow back-rower is the perfect replacement for his club colleague, even if he has spent more time on the blindside in recent outings. He just offers a genuine big bopper threat in the tight, something they potentially don’t have if him or Dempsey don’t play, and just consistently looks for ways to get himself into the game on either side of the ball.
Sam Costelow
It seemed Tandy had nailed his flag to the mast at fly-half with Dan Edwards, but Sam Costelow has a huge opportunity this weekend to disrupt that plan. The Scarlets man has been dipped in and out of the Test side since his debut in 2022, but this does seem to be a Test that suits him.
As Tandy has highlighted, his all-round kicking game seems to suit a tactic of challenging Scotland in the air, something made even more important with the selection of Van der Merwe, but it’s also his slightly different attacking style that makes this an interesting choice. Costelow really seems to come into his own when playing flat at the line, where he can have players coming off him rather than running shape in the midfield areas, which could even bring Aaron Wainwright into the game in slightly different areas as well as Eddie James, while also then having Joe Hawkins sitting slightly deeper to play wide.
It’s a big chance for the 25-year-old.
Gabriel Hamer-Webb
It’s been a long time coming for Gabriel Hamer-Webb, but he finally gets that first cap. The winger was incredibly unlucky to miss out on selection for the summer tour, given his form for Cardiff, but if anything, that has made him a better player.
He has had to bide his time at Leicester, but since Adam Radwan’s injury has quickly become a key part of their attack, and that should also set the blueprint for how to use him in this attack. Hamer-Webb brings serious pace and power out wide, something Wales have potentially lacked in recent outings, and he is also pretty solid in the air when called upon.
Wales are also in need of some fresh options out wide, with Josh Adams nearing the end of his Test career. Tandy has already had a good look at Ellis Mee and Tom Rogers, so this feels like a good opportunity to give Hamer-Webb a shot in the side. If he can impress, it could be his shirt to lose.
Losers
Scottish injured cohort
Jamie Dobie, Dempsey and Jamie Ritchie will all miss out on this Test through injury, which will come as a huge blow to Scotland. Dempsey and Ritchie played a key role in their dominance of the breakdown throughout the first-half against England, while Dobie’s pace gave Scotland a nice dynamic in attack, but they now see their spots taken.
Wales team: Steve Tandy swings the axe as B&I Lion and fly-half pay the price for France hammering
Ritchie is already confirmed to be missing the rest of the Championship, but at the time of writing, there is no timeline on Dempsey and Dobie. Either way, it’s unfortunate that they don’t get another chance to impress.
Adam Hastings
A combined total of five minutes across two Tests makes unpleasant reading for the fly-half, and he now finds himself outside of the 23 entirely. It’s not his fault in the slightest, given he’s been told to focus on playing fly-half and then not given minutes, but either way, his dropping will sting for a while.
It also potentially paints a larger picture about his overall standing in the Scotland backline, too. Finn Russell is, of course, going to be the starting man if fit, but Hastings was always in the discussion as the second option and had been in decent touch ahead of the tournament, but Tom Jordan’s versatility across the backline means he takes the 22 shirt off the Glasgow man’s hands.
Adam Beard
Wales are in need of a player of his calibre and experience, so this must have been a major discussion point among the coaches before announcing the team, but he pays the price for a rough day against France. His scuffed kick in the build-up to Theo Attisogbe’s try put his performance under an incredibly harsh spotlight, and while it likely did not directly lead to his axing it possibly sparked the idea.
It is also a sign that Wales are possibly starting to look towards the future at lock. Ben Carter and Freddie Thomas are both still puppies in terms of locks at 25 and 24, respectively, and will be battling it out to become the long-term partner to 23-year-old Dafydd Jenkins. This could be the start of that wider transition in the engine room.
