42 - 19

22 - 19

43 - 14

45 - 30

29 - 13

24 - 23

37 - 10

32 - 27

22 - 24

32 - 13

21 - 10

30 - 26

23 - 33

57 - 17

35 - 18

17 - 36

12 - 8

Thursday

15:00

Friday

13:00

Friday

13:30

Friday

13:30

Friday

13:30

Friday

13:30

Friday

13:30

Friday

15:00

Friday

15:10

International

Scotland name team for Australia that shows six XV changes

By Liam Heagney

27 Oct 2022

(Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Gregor Townsend has named a Scotland XV to face Australia this Saturday at BT Murrayfield that has six changes from the team that agonisingly lost the Test series decider in Argentina last July. The Scots were 15 points ahead at one stage in that three-game finale but were beaten 34-31 at Santiago del Estero.

That was a match in which there were no restrictions on who Townsend could pick but this weekend’s game versus the Wallabies has been limited to home-based players only as the fixture falls outside the agreed Test window for the release of players who earn their club living outside of Scotland.

Five of the changes that Townsend has made to his team to face the Wallabies are in the Scotland pack. There are two front row changes, Pierre Schoeman and Dave Cherry gaining promotion from the tour bench to start at loosehead and hooker in place of the now Ulster-based Rory Sutherland and Sale’s Ewan Ashman.

Both locks have also been changed with Sam Skinner and Grant Gilchrist respectively named to start in place of Scott Cummings, who is out of the series with a broken toe, and the Exeter-based Jonny Gray. In the back row, new skipper Jamie Ritchie takes over at blindside for the injured Rory Darge.

The alterations to the backline are limited to just one, Darcy Graham coming onto the right wing for Rufus McLean, while on the bench, George Turner, Jamie Bhatti, WP Nel, ex-Australian player Jack Dempsey and Damien Hoyland are names included on this occasion that didn’t feature in the third tour Test outing three months ago.

Scotland (vs Australia, Saturday)
15. Ollie Smith (Glasgow Warriors) 1 cap
14. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby) 29 caps
13. Mark Bennett (Edinburgh Rugby) 27 caps
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors) 7 caps
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby) 19 caps
10. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh Rugby) 34 caps
9. Ali Price – Vice-captain (Glasgow Warriors) 54 caps
1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby) 12 caps
2. Dave Cherry (Edinburgh Rugby) 7 caps
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) 50 caps
4. Sam Skinner (Edinburgh Rugby) 22 caps
5. Grant Gilchrist – Vice-captain (Edinburgh Rugby) 55 caps
6. Jamie Ritchie – Captain (Edinburgh Rugby) 32 caps
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) 51 caps
8. Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) 24 caps

Replacements:
16. George Turner (Glasgow Warriors) 27 caps
17. Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors) 22 caps
18. WP Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) 48 caps
19. Glen Young (Edinburgh Rugby) 1 cap
20. Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors) uncapped
21. George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) 17 caps
22. Ross Thompson (Glasgow Warriors) 3 caps
23. Damien Hoyland (Edinburgh Rugby) 4 caps

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Comments on RugbyPass

johnz 14 minutes ago

All Blacks talk late-game adjustments after clutch England win

I guess the other option would be to start ALB, he's looked good in the 12 so far when he starts and sets up those outside him. But that would mean putting the vice captain on the bench, which is unlikely. Another option would be to drop Reiko to the bench and play Proctor, though he's gone home so that's not going to happen either.

Both of those players just offer more of the soft distribution skills good centres learn from playing their careers there. Unfortunately that's what's lacking with the current combo.

11 Go to comments

ColinK 15 minutes ago

Are the All Blacks doomed to a 70% flatline?

Whatever let's see if this load of waffle is still valid in 2 years time. ABs will rise we have a lot of new talent coming through. The NPC was the highest standard for years. The game is changing to suit the fast pace we like to play. We get to play the Springboks more, including the franchises, which will make us better! Overall I am optimistic. I will add having watched the England game multiple times we made most of the play. England are an awesome physical team, but you can expect the All Blacks to get better and better at executing the chances. It could easily have been 5 tries to one instead of 3 to 1.

1 Go to comments

johnz 22 minutes ago

All Blacks talk late-game adjustments after clutch England win

Ratima did look rattled, compared to Roigard who looked like a boss when he came on. But that's been Roigard in test rugby so far. Ratima is only really starting because of Roigard's injury, otherwise surely Roigard was the incumbent. So it's not just one outing of the pine, that just points to Roigard being ready to have a start. As good as Ratima has been, Roigard just offers more.

11 Go to comments

GL 1 hour ago

How surprise opportunities led Harry Plummer to debut for All Blacks

Cody Taylor is a more significant loss than BB, not even close!

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JD 1 hour ago

'I never heard from Gatland... It kills me to this day'

Won't see a player like him nor, hopefully, an arsehole like him either. Odious kant.

22 Go to comments

CO 1 hour ago

Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I agree largely and I rate McKenzie as a wonderful utility at his best but now at twenty nine I wouldn't take him to the next world cup. I've never seen him as a a ten or a starter either at top tier test level. The bench needs a serious rethink with ideally a hybrid halfback/wing or a hybrid halfback/ten or a hybrid ten/centre to release that need for two relatively small guys on the bench.

32 Go to comments

RW 1 hour ago

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Starting a go fund me for Bundee to Leinster 😜

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CO 1 hour ago

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Unbelievable, the penalty count was so lopsided in last week's first half I'm certain the conspiracy theorists have already had a field day.

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JWH 1 hour ago

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Good idea, but to move a lock to 6 now with no previous experience save Scott Barrett (who is still our best lock) ahead of the 2nd best equal team in the world may cause more harm than good in terms of confidence, in both caoches and players.

Re lineout options, the ABs have the most innovative lineout in the world, with FOUR lineout options (Barrett, Vaai, Sititi, Savea), compared to Irelands maybe 2 (Beirne and Ryan). ABs will absolutely cause issues at the lineout, and definitely at scrum time. Those Irish props eat to much salad compared to our boys 💪

25 Go to comments

JWH 1 hour ago

Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I never said boring was bad, but it doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with the ABs style. The ABs 10 looks like this: a little magic, good offloads, tactical precision kicking, draw and pass, and a cool head to level it off.

A game manager isn't exactly necessary, as the ABs should all know what they are doing, and the 9 should be directing the forwards. However, considering the youth of our best 9s currently, a more vocal, directive, and logical player like Harry Plummer would make more sense than someone like DMac, who is in his own right a good 10, but tends to sit in wider channels where he can threaten the line more directly, so has less influence on the postioning of the narrower forwards.

32 Go to comments

Kia koe 2 hours ago

How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

Yep yep I agree

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Icefarrow 2 hours ago

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B-but all the armchair critics tell me he's useless and does little for the team but get penalised... This simply cannot be!

2 Go to comments

Thomas K 2 hours ago

England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

So you think you’d definitely have scored way more tries if it wasn’t for all the off the ball shots? 🤣🤣