Experience and continuity are the names of the game for Gregor Townsend after selecting a familiar-looking Scotland line-up to take on Australia in their Autumn Nations Series opener.
With their summer matches cancelled, last week’s convincing 60-14 win over Tonga – a game without their stars who play club rugby outside Scotland – was their first Test match since ending the 2021 Guinness Six Nations on a high with an historic victory over France.
And Townsend makes just one, injury-enforced change to the starting XV from that game in Paris, as loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman wins his second cap in place of Rory Sutherland.
It means Scotland’s seven other British & Irish Lions not named Sutherland are in the line-up from the off, with tighthead Zander Fagerson and flanker Hamish Watson the two representatives in the pack.
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Ali Price and Finn Russell re-form their potent half-back partnership, Chris Harris is in the centres and Duhan van der Merwe and skipper Stuart Hogg are two-thirds of the back-three.
Kyle Steyn is on the bench following his mesmerising four-try showing against Tonga and he is joined in the replacements by two potential debutants – Sale Sharks hooker Ewan Ashman and Bath back-rower Josh Bayliss.
The Tonga triumph was a perfect start to Scotland’s Autumn Nations Series campaign but head coach Townsend is under no illusions that the Wallabies will be a step up at BT Murrayfield on Sunday.
“While there were several positives to take from the win against Tonga we face a very different opponent in Australia this week,” he said.
“They are coming into this fixture clearly off the back of good results and full of confidence, so we will need to bring focus, accuracy and aggression for the full 80 minutes.
“We have been able to select an experienced team with the availability of our players outside of Scotland and aim to use the remaining Autumn Nations Series fixtures to build our game through improving week on week.
“This is a great opportunity to test ourselves against an in-form side, who are also one of the leading teams in world rugby.”
Scotland team to play Australia in the 2021 Autumn Nations Series 15. Stuart Hogg – Exeter Chiefs – (Captain) – 85 caps14. Darcy Graham – Edinburgh Rugby – 20 caps13. Chris Harris – Gloucester Rugby – 28 caps12. Sam Johnson – Glasgow Warriors – 19 caps11. Duhan van der Merwe – Worcester Warriors – 10 caps10. Finn Russell – Racing 92 – 55 caps9. Ali Price – Glasgow Warriors – 43 caps1. Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby – 1 cap2. George Turner – Glasgow Warriors – 18 caps3. Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors – 39 caps4. Sam Skinner – Exeter Chiefs – 12 caps5. Grant Gilchrist – Edinburgh Rugby – 45 caps6. Jamie Ritchie – Edinburgh Rugby – 28 caps7. Hamish Watson – Edinburgh Rugby – 42 caps 8. Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors – 14 caps
Replacements16. Ewan Ashman – Sale Sharks – Uncapped17. Jamie Bhatti – Glasgow Warriors – 19 caps18. Oli Kebble – Glasgow Warriors – 9 caps19. Jamie Hodgson – Edinburgh Rugby – 1 cap20. Josh Bayliss – Bath Rugby – Uncapped21. George Horne – Glasgow Warriors – 14 caps22. Adam Hastings – Gloucester Rugby – 23 caps23. Kyle Steyn – Glasgow Warriors – 2 caps
