Pierre Schoeman is in, no place for Duhan
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has made five changes to his starting XV for this weekend’s Six Nations match against France at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, with a new-look front row selected for the top-of-the-table clash.
Pierre Schoeman and hooker George Turner, both substitutes in the round three win over Wales, are given roles from the start, with tighthead D’arcy Rae also coming in for his first appearance of this year’s championship.
Jack Dempsey, who has recovered from a bicep injury sustained against England last month, returns to anchor the pack at number 8, with Matt Fagerson switching to blindside flanker and Gregor Brown slotting into the second row to accommodate Dempsey’s selection.
Vice-captain Rory Darge starts on the openside flank for the third match in a row after an impressive Player of the Match display in Cardiff two weeks ago, with Scott Cummings partnering Brown in the engine room.
Darcy Graham, who tied the Men’s all-time try record at 35 with his dazzling score last time out, gets the nod on the right wing, with Kyle Steyn, also a try scorer against Wales, moving to the left, and Blair Kinghorn listed at full-back.
Captain Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, now Scotland’s top try scorer in Six Nations history with 18, once more reprise their familiar centre partnership.
And it is as you were in the half-backs, with vice-captain and stand-off Finn Russell linking up with Ben White at scrum-half.
On the bench, flanker Freddy Douglas is primed for his second cap, having become the youngest Scotland international in more than 60 years when debuting against Portugal in November 2024.
Ewan Ashman also returns to the fold to cover hooker, with props Rory Sutherland and Zander Fagerson picked to make an impact as replacements.
Grant Gilchrist and Josh Bayliss complete the forward options, with scrum-half George Horne and the versatile Tom Jordan rounding off Scotland’s matchday 23 as they bid to reclaim the Auld Alliance trophy.
Scotland: 15 Blair Kinghorn; 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (captain), 11 Kyle Steyn; 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White; 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Gregor Brown, 3 D’Arcy Rae, 2 George Turner, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Grant Gilchrist, 20 Freddy Douglas, 21 Josh Bayliss, 22 George Horne, 23 Tom Jordan.
Date: Saturday, March 7
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 14.10 (14.10 GMT; 15.10 France time)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland) & Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)
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