Scotland make 7 changes to face Japan
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Scotland Head Coach Gregor Townsend has made seven changes to the starting XV for the final Autumn Nations Series match against Japan at BT Murrayfield on Saturday 20 November – kick-off 1pm.
Fresh from equalling Scotland’s all-time try scoring record in the South Africa fixture last week Captain Stuart Hogg starts at full-back to earn his 88th cap and move into fourth position in the Scotland male all-time list.
In the backs, Glasgow Warriors’ Sam Johnson starts at inside centre alongside Gloucester Rugby’s Chris Harris at outside centre.
Edinburgh Rugby’s Darcy Graham and Worcester Warriors’ Duhan Van Der Merwe are selected to take up the two wing berths.
Racing 92 fly-half Finn Russell, Vice-Captain, starts at 10 and again partners with Glasgow Warriors’ scrum-half, Ali Price, to complete the same Scotland backline which started in the win over Australia two weeks ago.
Townsend makes five changes to the pack for the Japan game from the starting XV which took on South Africa last Saturday.
Glasgow Warriors’ prop Jamie Bhatti earns his first Scotland start since August 2019 when he lined up against France in a pre-Rugby World Cup 2019 fixture.
He is joined in the front row by club-mate George Turner who has recovered from an injury sustained against Australia to pack down at hooker.
An all-Glasgow front row is completed by Zander Fagerson at tight-head.
In a new-look back-row Josh Bayliss makes his first start for Scotland at number eight after his debut off the bench against Australia two weeks ago.
Edinburgh Rugby flankers Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson resume their blindside and openside positions from the Wallabies win, with Ritchie also named as Vice-Captain.
There is the possibility of Scotland debuts for two players named in the replacements for the Japan contest with Scarlets’ prop Javan Sebastian and Cell C Sharks back-row forward Dylan Richardson both called into the matchday 23 for the first time.
