Tom Dodd has been named on the bench for Scotland Under 20s ahead of Wednesday’s World Rugby Under 20 Championship clash with New Zealand (kick-off 10am BST).
Scotland Head Coach John Dalziel has handed a debut to Tom Gordon, while Callum Hunter-Hill will continue as captain after leading the side throughout the recent Six Nations campaign.
Dalziel said: “We’ve named an exciting side for the tournament opener and we’re hoping they’ll go out and express themselves.
“We’ll look to play an attacking and fluid style of rugby, but there’s also going to be a need for great physicality in the contact if we are to win and retain possession for long periods of the match.
“There’s no playing down the enormity of the challenge we face in going up against New Zealand first-up.
“A good core of their squad will have played to a very high standard domestically and they’re likely to bring that experience into tomorrow’s game.
“They’ll play with real tempo, great physicality and an astuteness across all aspects of the game. We need to front-up physically and mentally to compete.
“The boys face a big task, but there’s a good vibe around camp and we’re all looking forward to getting things underway with a strong performance.”
Scotland Under 20s
15 Blair Kinghorn
14 Darcy Graham
13 Lewis Berg
12 Stafford McDowall
11 Ross McCann
10 Connor Eastgate
9 Charlie Shiel
1 George Thornton
2 Fraser Renwick
3 Fergus Bradbury
4 Alex Craig
5 Callum Hunter-Hill (C)
6 Luke Crosbie
7 Thomas Gordon
8 Matt Fagerson
Replacements
16 Robbie Smith
17 Ross Dunbar
18 Adam Nicol
19 Bruce Flockhart
20 Tom Dodd
21 Ruaridh Dawson
22 Josh Henderson
23 Robbie Nairn