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Gregor Townsend names Scotland team showing two changes for Ireland
By Liam Heagney
Gregor Townsend has named a Scotland team to host Ireland showing two changes from their Guinness Six Nations round three defeat away to France. The Scots lost out 21-32 in Paris but they still retain a chance of winning title and can clinch a first Triple Crown since 1990 with a win over the Irish at Murrayfield.
With Grant Gilchrist suspended following his Stade de France red card, Jonny Gray has been promoted from the bench.
The other change is also in the pack with French game sub Jack Dempsey swapping places with the benched Hamish Watson. His inclusion at No8 means Matt Fagerson will switch to No6.
Townsend went with a six/two forwards/backs bench split versus the French but the Scotland team to face Ireland will have a five/three cover as the place given up by the promoted lock Gray has been taken by midfielder Chris Harris.
Another change in the subs sees tighthead Simon Berghan take over from WP Nel.
Scotland team (vs Ireland, Sunday - 3:0pm)
15. Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs) – Vice-Captain - 99 caps
14. Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors) 8 caps
13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) 34 caps
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors) 14 caps
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby) 26 caps
10. Finn Russell (Racing 92) 68 caps
9. Ben White (London Irish) 12 caps
1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby) 19 caps
2. George Turner (Glasgow Warriors) 33 caps
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) 56 caps
4. Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors) 72 caps
5. Jonny Gray (Exeter Chiefs) – Vice-Captain – 75 caps
6. Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) 31 caps
7. Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh Rugby) – Captain – 39 caps
8. Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors) 7 caps
Replacements
16. Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) 60 caps
17. Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors) 28 caps
18. Simon Berghan (Glasgow Warriors) 32 caps
19. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) 23 caps
20. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) 55 caps
21. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) 59 caps
22. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh Rugby) 41 caps
23. Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby) 41 caps
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Latest Comments
I think you have gone in the wrong direction here Nick. I think you need to delve down into the rules etc around Moana Pacifica’s selection policies and then you need to understand that a lot of KIWI BORN rugby players have PI heritage. It appears ok for the 4 home nations to pillage NZ born players constantly without retribution but you want to question whether NZ BORN players should be eligible for NZ? Seems a real agenda in there.
Go back and look at the actual Aims and agenda for MP becoming a entity and you see lots of things enshrined in policy that you arnt mentioning here. EG there is an allowance for a percentage of MP to be NZ eligible. This was done so MP could actually become competitive. Lets be real. If it wasnt this way then MP would not be competitive.
There also seems to be some sort of claim ( mainly from the NH ) that NZ is “cashing in” on MP, which , quite frankly is a major error. Are you aware of how much MP costs NZR Financially?
39 NZ born rugby players played at the last world cup for Samoa or Tonga. PLUS plenty for Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales.
Taumoefolau is a BORN AND BRED NZer. However I very strongly doubt he will be an AB, but who do you believe he should be allowed to play for? Levi Aumua is ALSO a born and bred Kiwi.
Aumua was eligible to represent Samoa and Fiji for the Pacific Nations Cup in July that year but ended up playing for neither. He IS eligible for his nation of Birth too Nick
He is a Kiwi. Are you saying an NZ born, raised Kiwi cant play for NZ now?
Sorry Nick Kiwi born and bred actually qualify for NZ.
Go to commentsYeah, Richie certainly stepped up for the ABs in 2022 and 2023 and proved he could translate his skills into the test arena. You have to understand many fans checked out at that point though, only to tune back in for a directionless WC final.
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