Scotland have picked only three first XV players from their ill-fated Six Nations campaign for the first of four warm-up games bulding up to the Rugby World Cup in England next month.
Glasgow scrum-half Henry Pyrgos, not involved in the spring due to injury but a key man in the Warriors’ run to the PRO12 title, will skipper the team to play Ireland in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
Only Tommy Seymour, Blair Cowan and Rob Harley of the 25 named for the weekend were regular starters during the whitewash Six Nations, although Sean Lamont, Peter Horne, Tim Visser, Jim Hamilton, Fraser Brown and David Denton were involved at various times during the championship.
Pyrgos’ selection as captain will see him start the first warm-up ahead of Edinburgh’s Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, who many thought would be challenging established captain Greig Laidlaw for the starting slot after a brilliant season for the capital club. The 26-year-old English-born scrum-half, who has a Scottish mother, has scored two tries in 13 caps so far.
The squad also features Ruaridh Jackson, out with a knee injury for all of last year, and Grant Gilchrist, who was originally named captain by Vern Cotter for the November tests but broke his arm on the eve of the first game against Argentina and also missed the entire season. John Barclay, out of the squad since November 2013, is set to win his 44th cap for his country after a recall to the larger Rugby World Cup squad in June.
There are four uncapped players in the squad for Dublin in props Alan Dell and Mike Cusack, back rower Hugh Blake and converted back-rower now hooker, Stuart McInally.
Backs: Dougie Fife, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (both Edinburgh), Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Ruaridh Jackson (Wasps), Sean Lamont, Henry Pyrgos, Tommy Seymour (all Glasgow Warriors), Greig Tonks (Edinburgh), Richie Vernon (Glasgow Warriors), Tim Visser (Edinburgh), Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors).
Forwards: John Barclay (Scarlets), Hugh Blake (unattached), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Cowan (London Irish), Mike Cusack (Glasgow Warriors), David Denton, Alan Dell, Grant Gilchrist (all Edinburgh), Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors), Jim Hamilton (Saracens), Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors), J Welsh (Newcastle)