Huw Jones makes timely return as Scotland name All Blacks lineup

Gregor Townsend has named his 23-man squad to take on the All Blacks this weekend at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, in search of a famous victory over Dave Rennie’s side.

Scotland are still searching for a breakthrough against New Zealand after 33 Tests, which have featured two draws, back in 1964 and 1983, respectively.

Neither of Scotland’s record try-scorers, Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham, feature, as Townsend searches for his best backline combination in 2026.

British and Irish Lions midfielder Huw Jones returns to the starting lineup after missing the whole of the July Nations Championship window, and will partner Sione Tuipulotu in the midfield.

Townsend has named an experienced front row, including Rory Sutherland, Ewan Ashman, and Zander Fagerson.

It’s an all-Glasgow Warriors locking duo, with Gregor Brown partnering the ever-impressive Scott Cummings. The loose-forward trio looms as a mouth-watering matchup across the two sides, with Townsend trusting Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, and Jack Dempsey to come up against Tupou Vaa’i, Peter Lakai, and Wallace Sititi for the All Blacks.

Toulon’s Ben White starts at halfback, joined by British and Irish Lion’s flyhalf Finn Russell.

Versatile winger Jamie Dobie lines up on the left wing, while the rest of the back three is made up by vice-captain Kyle Steyn and Kyle Rowe.

Rowe was picked ahead of Blair Kinghorn, who is on the bench, which includes Tom Jordan and George Horne.

The front row replacements consist of players from three different franchises, with Townsend opting for Gregor Hiddleston, Pierre Schoeman, and Will Hurd to provide impact.

Second row Max Williamson and Josh Bayliss are trusted on the bench, wearing jerseys 19 and 20 at Murrayfield.

Scotland team to play New Zealand in the Nations Championship at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Saturday 7 November 2026, live on ITV Sport, kick-off 2.10pm; caps in brackets:

15. Kyle Rowe – Glasgow Warriors (19)
14. Kyle Steyn – Vice-Captain Glasgow Warriors (35)
13. Huw Jones – Toulon (63)
12. Sione Tuipulotu – Captain – Glasgow Warriors (41)
11. Jamie Dobie – Glasgow Warriors (22)
10. Finn Russell – Bath Rugby (95)
9. Ben White – Toulon (38)

1. Rory Sutherland – Glasgow Warriors (51)
2. Ewan Ashman – Edinburgh Rugby (37)
3. Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (84)
4. Gregor Brown – Glasgow Warriors (19)
5. Scott Cummings – Glasgow Warriors (52)
6. Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (66)
7. Rory Darge – Vice-Captain – Glasgow Warriors (41)
8. Jack Dempsey – Toshiba Brave Lupus (35)

Replacements

16. Gregor Hiddleston – Glasgow Warriors (3)
17. Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby (52)
18. Will Hurd – Leicester Tigers (11)
19. Max Williamson – Glasgow Warriors (15)
20. Josh Bayliss – Bath Rugby (18)
21. George Horne – Glasgow Warriors (47)
22. Tom Jordan – Bristol Bears (20)
23. Blair Kinghorn – Toulouse (68)