Scotland’s squad captain Stuart McInally is the surprise omission from Gregor Townsend’s team to take on Japan in the Rugby World Cup in Yokohama on Sunday – if the game goes ahead at all.
The match to decide one of the quarter-finalists from Pool A is still under review because of the Super Typhoon Hagibis hitting landfall in the Tokyo Metropolitan area tomorrow (Saturday), and the fears of widespread damage and disruption.
However the Scots are proceeding as if the game is going ahead and Scottish Rugby CEO Mark Dodson is fighting a rearguard action against any suggestion the match should be cancelled, which will most likely lead to Scotland being knocked out of the tournament.
In the meantime Townsend has made 12 changes, one positional from the team that defeated Russia 61-0 in SHizuoka just three days ago, but the positional one is a key move.
Fraser Brown, who started on the open side and played just half an hour in that game, replaces the captain Stuart McInally, who is on the bench.
Grieg Laidlaw captains the team from scrum-half.
The other key retentions from the team that beat Russia are both wings, Darcy Graham and Tommy Seymour, with the Glasgow veteran replacing Sean Maitland, who suffered a groin problem after the win over Samoa nearly two weeks ago.
Team: Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs); Tommy Seymour (Glasgow), Chris Harris (Newcastle), Sam Johnson (Glasgow), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh); Finn Russell (Racing 92), Grieg Laidlaw (Clermont-Auvergne, capt); Allan Dell (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow), WP Nel (Edinburgh); Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Jonny Gray (Glasgow); Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Blade Thomson (Scarlets).
Replacements: Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Gordon Reid (Ayrshire Bulls), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow), Scott Cummings (Glasgow), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow), George Horne (Glasgow, Peter Horne (Glasgow), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh).