Head Coach Gregor Townsend has reselected the starting line-up from Scotland’s round two win over France (32-26) for this Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash with England at BT Murrayfield Stadium (kick-off 4.45pm UK Time; 6.45pm SA Time).
The Scots fought back from a ten-point deficit on two occasions and scored 12 unanswered points in the final quarter to post their first win of the 2018 NatWest 6 Nations Championship, with the two-try showing rewarded with reselection for the staring XV.
There are, however, three changes to the bench with fit-again prop Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) and lock Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – both of whom returned to the squad this week – named among the replacements in place of Jon Welsh (Newcastle Falcons) and Ben Toolis (Edinburgh Rugby).
Centre Nick Grigg is the only change among the backs replacements as a reward for his consistency of performance for Glasgow Warriors, highlighted in his man-of-the-match winning performance for the club in their bonus-point win over Cheetahs last weekend.
Scotland Head Coach Gregor Townsend, said: “The players put a huge amount of effort into our win over France. They found a way to win and kept attacking the opposition up until the final whistle.
“England are the number two side in the world and have shown a very good level of consistency in the past couple of seasons. This is due to the quality of their playing and coaching staff, who have done a tremendous job.
“They have a very good defence, an excellent set-piece and like to get 10 and 12 on the ball as much as possible in attack. Taking on England is going to be a huge challenge and we are well aware that only our very best will be good enough in this fixture.
“As always our supporters will play a vital role throughout the match and we’re delighted to be back at BT Murrayfield with the backing of our home fans.”
The unchanged starting side means Scotland’s British & Irish Lions backline quintet of Stuart Hogg, Greig Laidlaw, Sean Maitland, Finn Russell and Tommy Seymour return, with the Glasgow Warriors partnership of Pete Horne and Huw Jones completing the division.
Edinburgh Rugby provide half the pack with prop Simon Berghan, hooker Start McInally, lock Grant Gilchrist and back-row Hamish Watson back in the fold, with London Irish loosehead Gordon Reid returning to the front-row, Jonny Gray completing the second-row and captain John Barclay and vice-captain Ryan Wilson in the back-row once again.
Scotland team to play England at BT Murrayfield Stadium
15. Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) – 57 caps
14. Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 41 caps
13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps
12. Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 30 caps
11. Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 31 caps
10. Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors) – 34 caps
9. Greig Laidlaw VICE CAPTAIN (ASM Clermont Auvergne) – 60 caps
1. Gordon Reid (London Irish) – 29 caps
2. Stuart McInally (Edinburgh Rugby) – 14 caps
3. Simon Berghan (Edinburgh Rugby) – 6 caps
4. Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby) – 20 caps
5. Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 40 caps
6. John Barclay CAPTAIN (Scarlets) – 68 caps
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 17 caps
8. Ryan Wilson VICE CAPTAIN (Glasgow Warriors) – 34 caps
Substitutes
16. Scott Lawson (Newcastle Falcons) – 47 caps
17. Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors) – 5 caps
18. Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) – 19 caps
19. Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – 33 caps
20. David Denton (Worcester Warriors) – 36 caps
21. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps
22. Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors) – 1 cap
23. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh Rugby) – uncapped
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England head coach Eddie Jones has made one change to his starting line up to play Scotland on Saturday at Murrayfield.
Nathan Hughes (Wasps) returns to the side at No 8 for the first time this year following a knee injury he picked up in December.
Joe Launchbury (Wasps) will play in his 50th game for England having made his debut for his country in 2012.
Captain Dylan Hartley will become England’s second most capped men’s player of all time when he steps out for the 92nd time on Saturday. Hartley will surpass Jonny Wilkinson on 91 caps and now only sits behind Jason Leonard (114).
“We are really excited about this game and we will need to be very tough and relentless in our defence to keep the pressure on this Scottish team,” said Jones.
“They are renowned for their attack so we will need to put pressure on them, create opportunities through our defence for our attack, and convert those opportunities to points.
“Our preparation over the last two weeks has been important in that it has allowed us to regenerate the players, improve the fitness of some and to get a clear understanding on how we will play this weekend.
“Nathan Hughes has worked hard on his fitness. I’ve never seen him in better physical condition so we are looking forward to him playing. Nathan has a key role in defence and in us gaining momentum in attack.”
Jones added on Launchbury’s milestone: “For any player to play 50 caps for their country is a wonderful achievement. Joe has worked really hard to improve and is such an important player for us.”
Joe Marler (Harlequins) is named as a finisher following his suspension.
England team to play Scotland
15 Mike Brown (Harlequins 66 caps), 14 Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby 30 caps), 13 Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby 37 caps), 12 Owen Farrell (Saracens 55 caps), 11 Jonny May (Leicester Tigers 31 caps), 10 George Ford (Leicester Tigers 42 caps), 9 Danny Care (Harlequins 78 caps), 1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens 46 caps), 2 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints 91 caps), 3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers 79 caps), 4 Joe Launchbury (Wasps 49 caps), 5 Maro Itoje (Saracens 16 caps), 6 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints 63 caps), 7 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins 61 caps), 8 Nathan Hughes (Wasps 12 caps).
Finishers
16 Jamie George (Saracens 22 caps), 17 Joe Marler (Harlequins 53 caps), 18 Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs 7 caps), 19 George Kruis (Saracens 23 caps), 20 Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby 5 caps), 21 Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens 28 caps), 22 Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors 10 caps), 23 Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs 25 caps).
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