Scotland team v Springboks: Finn Russell and co. bolster the starting XV as Gregor Townsend loads his bench for Murrayfield showdown
Scotland have been bolstered by the return of Finn Russell, Ben White and Blair Kinghorn to their team for the Autumn Nations Series clash with the Springboks.
White and vice-captain Russell were both unavailable for Scotland’s fixture against Fiji last weekend due to the match falling outside of the international window.
However, the Bath and Toulon stars are welcomed back for the game with the Rugby World Cup holders and start in a strong XV named by boss Gregor Townsend.
Tom Jordan starts
Fresh from an impressive debut off the bench against Fiji last weekend, Glasgow Warriors’ Tom Jordan has been named at full-back to take on Rassie Erasmus’ men.
Like Russell and White, Top 14 and Champions Cup winner Blair Kinghorn is available this weekend and will start on the right wing due to Jordan wearing jersey 15.
The rest of the backline is unchanged from the Fiji result with Huw Jones and captain, Sione Tuipulotu, combining once again in the centre and will be key players.
After topping the all-time try-scoring charts for Scotland under hot pursuit of Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe starts on the left wing with Graham ruled out.
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In the forwards, there are no changes from the team that defeated Fiji 57-17. Rory Darge is named as vice-captain once again and makes up an all-Glasgow Warriors back-row with Matt Fagerson and Jack Dempsey for the clash with the Springboks.
Grant Gilchrist and Scott Cummings are paired together for the second week in a row at lock and upfront, Zander Fagerson packs down, fresh from becoming a dad to twins, along with Pierre Schoeman and Ewan Ashman.
On the bench, Dylan Richardson and Rory Sutherland are listed as front-row replacements along with Elliot Millar Mills, who joins after being unavailable last weekend. Max Williamson is again named among the substitutes, with Josh Bayliss and Jamie Ritchie brought in to engineer a 6-2 split, as Jamie Dobie and Stafford McDowall complete the matchday 23.
Scotland team to face Springboks
Scotland: 15 Tom Jordan, 14 Blair Kinghorn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Jamie Ritchie, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Stafford McDowall
Date: Sunday, November 10
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 16:10 GMT (18:10 SAST)
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce (England), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
READ MORE: How to watch Scotland v Springboks at Murrayfield: TV channel, live stream, kick-off time