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Scotland name XV to take on Springboks

Scotland players take part in a lap of honour after the pre-2023 World Cup warm-up rugby union match between Scotland and Georgia at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on August 26, 2023. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Gregor Townsend has named his Scotland squad to face world champions South Africa on Sunday in Marseille in what is to be a pivotal game in Pool B.

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Flanker Jamie Ritchie captains the side, with Finn Russell and Grant Gilchrist serving as his deputies in what is a settled side.

Townsend has named a conventional 5-3 split on the bench, opting not to fight fire with fire against South Africa’s 6-2 bench split.

There is no place in the squad for flanker Hamish Watson though, with 23-year-old Rory Darge making his first World Cup appearance against a formidable Springbok pack.

Elsewhere in the squad, former captain Stuart McInally has flown out to France to provide cover for hooker Ewan Ashman, who was ruled out of the South Africa match this week. McInally has not, however, joined the 33-player squad.

Scotland XV
15. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh Rugby) 46 caps
14. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby) 35 caps
13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) 39 caps
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors) 19 caps
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby) 31 caps
10. Finn Russell (Bath Rugby) – Vice-captain – 72 caps
9. Ben White (Toulon) 16 caps
1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby) 23 caps
2. George Turner (Glasgow Warriors) 37 caps
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) 59 caps
4. Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors) 75 caps
5. Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby) – Vice-captain – 65 caps
6. Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh Rugby) – Captain – 43 caps
7. Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors) 11 caps
8. Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors) 12 caps

Replacements:
16. Dave Cherry (Edinburgh Rugby) 10 caps
17. Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors) 32 caps
18. WP Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) 57 caps
19. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) 29 caps
20. Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) 36 caps
21. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) 63 caps
22. Cameron Redpath (Bath Rugby) 7 caps
23. Ollie Smith (Glasgow Warriors) 6 caps

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M
Mzilikazi 1 hour ago
How law changes are speeding up the game - but the scrum lags behind

Regarding the scrum, I would pick up on your point made below, Nick. "....reffing the scrum is not easy at all, prob the single most difficult area in the books." Those of us who have coached the scrum, and /or refereed, would fully agree. And I have read on the pages of rugby forums for years now the opinion of experienced international props. "I could not detect exactly what happened in that particular scrum"


Ofc the problem is heightened when the referee has not played in the pack, has never been in a scrum. It is very clear, at least to me, that many top level referees don't begin to understand the mechanics of the scrum.


I feel the laws are adequate as they stand to a great extent. The problem, as I see it, is that referees right up to top level just don't apply them in the the letter of the law or in the spirit they should .


Any significant downward pressure by a prop to cause a collapse should be penalised. For example look at the scrum clip at 54.49 mins. It is the Leinster LH who forces downwards first, then the Munster TH "pancakes" I believe the Leinster prop is the offender there.


I also think that with most of the wheels in those clips, it was Leinster who are the offenders. That can be hard to pick though in many cases. Another point is the hooker standing up. That was being penalised 3/4 years ago. So Kellaher would have been penalised back then in that first clip at 04.17.


I think the directive should be given now to referees at all levels to stop giving penalties simply because a team is being moved backwards. And the directive should be "order the team with the ball to clear it, and within 3 secs."


It would help if a change was made to remove the option to take another scrum after a penalty is awarded. Must take a tap or a kick.

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