Scotland have made four changes as well as the one enforced for the second game of the Guinness Six Nations Championship against Wales in Cardiff.
Jamie Ritchie’s injury absence ensured one change, and Sam Skinner comes in on the flank. But Gregor Townsend has also switched around his entire front row and given a start to Sione Tuipulotu in midfield.
The Edinburgh trio of Stuart McInally, Pierre Schoeman and WP Nel all came off the bench in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup win, but they start in the Principality Stadium. The starting trio of Rory Sutherland, George Turner and Zander Fagerson drop to the replacements.
Apart from Ritchie, centre Sam Johnson is the only omission, dropping out of the squad altogether, Tuipulotu, who made his debut Against Tonga in November, will play inside Chris Harris.
Cam Redpath, who might have been many people’s choice to come in, is on the bench.
Rory Darge is the new replacement back rower as the Scots go without a specialist second row among the replacements.
Scotland have not won in the Principality Stadium since 2002. They did win their last Six Nations game in Wales, held at Llanelli two years ago due to the pandemic.
The team
Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs); Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Gloucester), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors), Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester); Finn Russell (Racing 92), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors); Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), WP Nel (Edinburgh); Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Jonny Gray (Exeter Chiefs); Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors).
Replacements: George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Sutherland (Worcester), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Ben White (London Irish), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Cameron Redpath (Bath)