Chiefs duo to start for Scotland

By Mark Stevens
11/11/21

Exeter Chiefs duo Sam Skinner and Stuart Hogg have both been named in Gregor Townsend’s starting line-up for Saturday’s Autumn Nations Series clash between Scotland and South Africa at BT Murrayfield (1pm).

Hogg, who will again captain his country on his 87th cap, will line-up and full-back, while Skinner will pack down in the second-row alongside Edinburgh’s Grant Gilchrist.

Townsend has made four personnel changes from the starting XV which defeated Australia last Sunday with two each in the forwards and backs, and two on the replacements bench from the Wallabies fixture, along with a positional change in the pack.

Leicester Tigers centre Matt Scott earns his first Scotland start since June 2017, when he played against Italy in Singapore in Gregor Townsend’s first match as Head Coach.

Scott comes in for his 40th Scotland cap and partners Gloucester Rugby’s Chris Harris, who played South Africa for the British & Irish Lions this summer.

Glasgow Warrior’s Rufus McLean starts on the wing after his double try-scoring debut against Tonga earlier in the 2021 Autumn Nations Series, with Worcester Warriors and Lion Duhan van der Merwe completing the back three.

Lions half-back pairing Finn Russell and Ali Price both start following their strong showing against Australia.

In the pack, Edinburgh Rugby’s Nick Haining comes into the starting back-row on the blindside flank as club-mate and Jamie Ritchie moves to the openside.Glasgow Warriors Matt Fagerson continues at number eight.

Hamish Watson, himself a Lions tourist this summer, is named in the replacements.

There is a return to the front-row for Edinburgh Rugby’s Stuart McInally at hooker and he packs down with Lion Zander Fagerson and Edinburgh Rugby’s Pierre Schoeman, who earns his third start at loosehead prop.

Townsend has added experience to the replacements with Edinburgh Rugby’s Blair Kinghorn providing cover across the backs alongside Glasgow Warriors scrum-half George Horne and Gloucester Rugby’s Adam Hastings.

Watson will bring dynamism from the bench and is joined in the forward replacements by the players who helped to see out the Wallabies victory.

Sale Sharks hooker Ewan Ashman is in line for his second cap with Glasgow Warriors props Jamie Bhatti and Oli Kebble selected alongside Edinburgh Rugby lock Jamie Hodgson.

Head Coach Townsend said: “Sunday’s result against Australia was another positive step in the evolution of this team, but there is more to come from this group. And we’ll have to raise our level of performance on Saturday against the world champions.

“We know what to expect from the Springboks in how they play and the physicality they will bring across the team. We have therefore selected a side that we believe can both meet that challenge and give us the platform to impose our game on the opposition. It should be a full-blooded contest and will require an intensity and focus across our 23-man squad for the full 80 minutes.

“As a playing and coaching group we took a huge amount of energy from the crowd at BT Murrayfield through their outstanding support against Australia. We can’t wait to get back out in front of our people again this weekend.”

SCOTLAND TEAM TO FACE SOUTH AFRICA

15. Stuart Hogg – Exeter Chiefs - (Captain) – 86 caps
14. Rufus McLean – Glasgow Warriors - 1 cap
13. Chris Harris – Gloucester Rugby – 29 caps
12. Matt Scott – Leicester Tigers – 39 caps
11. Duhan van der Merwe – Worcester Warriors – 11 caps
10. Finn Russell – Racing 92 - (Vice-Captain) – 56 caps
9. Ali Price – Glasgow Warriors – 44 caps
1. Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby – 2 caps
2. Stuart McInally – Edinburgh Rugby - 41 caps
3. Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors – 40 caps
4. Sam Skinner – Exeter Chiefs – 13 caps
5. Grant Gilchrist – Edinburgh Rugby – 46 caps
6. Nick Haining – Edinburgh Rugby – 9 caps
7. Jamie Ritchie – Edinburgh Rugby - (Vice-Captain) – 29 caps
8. Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors – 15 caps

Replacements

16. Ewan Ashman – Sale Sharks – 1 cap
17. Jamie Bhatti – Glasgow Warriors – 20 caps
18. Oli Kebble – Glasgow Warriors – 10 caps
19. Jamie Hodgson – Edinburgh Rugby – 2 caps
20. Hamish Watson – Edinburgh Rugby – 43 caps
21. George Horne – Glasgow Warriors – 15 caps
22. Adam Hastings – Gloucester Rugby – 24 caps
23. Blair Kinghorn – Edinburgh Rugby – 26 caps