Bath Rugby’s Finn Russell makes a much-anticipated return to the Scotland starting lineup for Saturday’s Nations Championship match against South Africa in Pretoria. After missing last weekend’s opener in Argentina due to a calf injury, Russell is back in action, providing a significant boost to Scotland’s attacking options.
Russell, 33, hasn’t played since May 16, when Bath secured a Gallagher Premiership victory over Newcastle Falcons. His absence was felt keenly during Bath’s play-off semi-final loss to Exeter Chiefs, where his replacement, Santi Carreras, struggled under pressure in the closing stages.
In the Scotland squad, Russell replaces Bristol Bears’ Tom Jordan, who moves to the bench. This is the only change in the backline that triumphed over Argentina 47-38 last weekend.
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Head coach Gregor Townsend expressed confidence in Russell’s recovery, stating: “He trained well throughout the week and is definitely over his calf injury. We wanted to make sure he was fully fit for the demanding matches ahead, especially this one.”
The pack also sees two changes. Zander Fagerson steps in for Northampton Saints’ Elliot Millar Mills, who is sidelined with a season-ending injury. Gregor Brown, who scored off the bench last weekend, starts at lock replacing Jonny Gray, who is omitted from the squad.
Bath players Josh Bayliss joins Will Hurd, Magnus Bradbury, and Stafford McDowall on the bench, making a 6-2 split in the replacements from last weekend’s squad, which sees George Horne, Fergus Burke, and Darcy Graham dropped.
As Scotland prepares to face South Africa, they are aiming to secure their first-ever victory on South African soil, a historic milestone.
Scotland team:
15. Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors, 18 caps), 14. Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors, 34 caps) – Vice Captain, 13. Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints, 12 caps), 12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors, 39 caps) – Captain, 11. Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors, 20 caps), 10. Finn Russell (Bath, 94 caps), 9. Ben White (Toulon, 37 caps);
- Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby, 50 caps), 2. Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh Rugby, 36 caps), 3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, 82 caps), 4. Gregor Brown (Glasgow Warriors, 17 caps), 5. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors, 50 caps), 6. Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, 65 caps), 7. Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors, 40 caps) – Vice Captain, 8. Jack Dempsey (Toshiba Brave Lupus, 34 caps)
Replacements:
16. Gregor Hiddleston (Glasgow Warriors, 1 cap), 17. Rory Sutherland (Glasgow Warriors, 49 caps), 18. Will Hurd (Leicester Tigers, 10 caps), 19. Alex Samuel (Glasgow Warriors, 4 caps), 20. Josh Bayliss (Bath, 16 caps), 21. Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh Rugby, 22 caps), 22. Tom Jordan (Bristol Bears, 18 caps), 23. Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors, 16 caps)