Three changes for Scotland as Townsend names team to host England
Scotland will look to get their Guinness Six Nations campaign back on track versus England on Saturday with an XV containing three changes following their agonising round two loss to France.
The February 10 match at BT Murrayfield ended in frustration as Sam Skinner was deemed to have been held up over the line rather than grounding the ball for what would have been the winning try versus the French.
The reaction of the head coach to the 16-20 loss has been to recall the fit-again Blair Kinghorn to start his first championship match of the season.
He takes over at full-back from Harry Paterson, who is omitted from the match day 23 along with Kyle Rowe, another starter against the French. His spot on the right wing is filled by Kyle Steyn, a late absentee 12 days ago as his wife went into labour.
There is one change in the pack with Jamie Ritchie restored at blindside in place of Matt Fagerson. Scotland’s bench remains unchanged.
Scotland (vs England, Saturday)
15. Blair Kinghorn – Toulouse (50)
14. Kyle Steyn – Glasgow Warriors (16)
13. Huw Jones – Glasgow Warriors (45)
12. Sione Tuipulotu – Vice-Captain – Glasgow Warriors (24)
11. Duhan van der Merwe – Edinburgh Rugby (36)
10. Finn Russell – Co-Captain – Bath Rugby (77)
9. Ben White – Toulon (20)
1. Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby (28)
2. George Turner – Glasgow Warriors (42)
3. Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (64)
4. Grant Gilchrist – Edinburgh Rugby (69)
5. Scott Cummings – Glasgow Warriors (35)
6. Jamie Ritchie – Edinburgh Rugby (47)
7. Rory Darge – Co-Captain – Glasgow Warriors (16)
8. Jack Dempsey – Glasgow Warriors (17)
Replacements:
16. Ewan Ashman – Edinburgh Rugby (14)
17. Alec Hepburn – Exeter Chiefs (2)
18. Elliot Millar-Mills – Northampton Saints (1)
19. Sam Skinner – Edinburgh Rugby (32)
20. Andy Christie – Saracens (5)
21. George Horne – Glasgow Warriors (27)
22. Ben Healy – Edinburgh Rugby (4)
23. Cameron Redpath – Bath Rugby (11)
Comments on RugbyPass
The best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
2 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
114 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
2 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
114 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
4 Go to comments