Scotland change three for visit of Ireland in Six Nations
Scotland have made three changes to their side for the visit of champions Ireland to Murrayfield in the Six Nations on Sunday, with Tom Jordan drafted in at inside centre, Jack Dempsey at number eight and Rory Sutherland into the front row.
Scotland defeated Italy 31-19 in their tournament opener but coach Gregor Townsend has beefed up his pack for the "old school" clash with the Irish, who have won the last 10 meetings between the two sides.
"It will be a very physical game," Townsend said. "The cohesion they (Ireland) have in their squad, with players that have won a lot of caps together and play together at club level, means the team is full of experienced players."
Sutherland joins fellow prop Zander Fagerson and hooker Dave Cherry in the front row, while the lock pairing is unchanged with Jonny Gray and Grant Gilchrist to go again.
"Rory has been competing hard with Pierre (Schoeman) for a starting place. He has been in great form this year and is in peak physical shape," Townsend said.
Dempsey will form a back row with flankers Matt Fagerson and Rory Darge. Jamie Ritchie drops to the bench to accommodate him in the side, with Fagerson moving from number eight to the flank.
"With Jack, it is just a case of him getting more minutes. He has trained really well and is looking confident," Townsend added.
The single change to the backline sees Jordan partner last weekend’s hat-trick hero Huw Jones in the midfield, with flyhalf Finn Russell alongside number nine Ben White.
"Tom made a good impact (against Italy), I thought he called for the ball a lot and was really aggressive in defence. It was a really good follow-up from what he had done for us in November," Townsend said.
Fullback Blair Kinghorn, and wings Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham, combine to make up the back three.
Townsend has chosen a 6-2 split between forwards and backs on the bench, with Schoeman, Ewan Ashman and Will Hurd the front row replacements.
Ireland defeated England 27-22 at the start of their title defence in Dublin last weekend. They are seeking to become the first nation to win three successive titles outright.
Team:
15-Blair Kinghorn, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Huw Jones, 12-Tom Jordan, 11-Duhan van der Merwe, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ben White, 8-Jack Dempsey, 7-Rory Darge, 6-Matt Fagerson, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Jonny Gray, 3-Zander Fagerson, 2-Dave Cherry, 1-Rory Sutherland
Replacements: 16-Ewan Ashman, 17-Pierre Schoeman, 18-Will Hurd, 19-Sam Skinner, 20-Gregor Brown, 21-Jamie Ritchie, 22-Jamie Dobie, 23-Stafford McDowall.
