Kyle Steyn comes into the starting XV for Scotland as they go in search of a first-ever win over New Zealand at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Saturday.
Steyn replaces Duhan van der Merwe, who reached the 50-cap milestone in last weekend’s 85-0 dismantling of the United States. Steyn is perhaps not quite as prolific but has crossed the try line 13 times in 25 appearances. He slots in to a pretty established first choice backline along with Rory Hutchinson, who takes Huw Jones usual shirt and will be relishing a rare opportunity to play for Scotland against top-class opposition.
Now the international window is officially open, Finn Russell, Blair Kinghorn and Ben White are all back in the fold while Sione Tuipulotu will resume his captaincy.
The most concerning area is up front where Scotland will again be without first choice Zander Fagerson. He was in contention to return after a long injury lay-off, but has not recovered in time. D’Arcy Rae keeps his place at tighthead with Millar-Mills on the bench.
Gregor Brown gets the nod at blindside flanker ahead of former skipper Jamie Ritchie in what could best be described as a hefty pack! Can they manufacturer front foot ball from somewhere and break the All-Black hoodoo? With Rory Darge’s fitness a concern he only makes the bench but that does open a window for Brown to add another lineout option, assuming the throwers can hit them.
While Scotland may not have learned much from a record win over a frankly very poor USA team, New Zealand were actually on the Eagles turf in Chicago last weekend – the country’s own team clearly not much of a draw. The All Blacks overturned an early deficit to beat Ireland 26-13, pulling clear in the second half when Ireland lost Tadhg Beirne to a first-half red card (that decision was later rescinded following a disciplinary hearing).
Captained by Ardie Savea, they’ve made three changes to the side that beat Ireland. Lock Josh Lord and centre Leicester Fainga’anuku replace injured brothers Scott and Jordie Barrett, while flanker Wallace Sititi comes in for Simon Parker.
It might be too much to hope jet lag plays a part this weekend, given the results over the lifetime of the blog:
New Zealand record
But nonetheless, we will always hope…
Scotland: Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, Rory Hutchinson, Sione Tuipulotu (capt), Kyle Steyn, Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman, D’Arcy Rae, Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Gregor Brown, Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey.
Replacements: George Turner, Rory Sutherland, Eliot Millar-Mills, Marshall Sykes, Rory Darge, Josh Bayliss, Jamie Dobie, Tom Jordan.
New Zealand: Jordan; Carter, Fainga’anuku, Tupaea, Clarke; B Barrett, Roigard; Groot, Taylor, Newell, Lord, Holland, Sititi, Savea (capt), Lakai.
Replacements: Taukei’aho, Williams, Tosi, Darry, Kirifi, Ratima, Proctor, McKenzie.
32 responses
Disappointed to see Gilchrist starting, he’s not what you need when the going gets tough as he showed in the second half against Cardiff 2 weeks ago, time we moved on from selecting favourites. On the bench I don’t think Darge can be match fit & he’s not in great form anyway. Steyn is a good choice for this game for his high ball & defensive ability, also good to see Hutchinson starting for the injured Jones. Hoping we play our best but still fearful.
Agreed on Gilchrist. There are younger and better players available. However, I wonder if the loss of Zander has meant Toonie has opted for some experience in the second row? Although I’m not sure it’s needed with Cummings also in the second row.
I guess Gilchrist is there for his leadership , I am surprised Williamson is not in the 23. The backrow with Josh Bayliss in reserve, feels powerful. Dobie and Jordan are, fast and unpredictable, I am hoping they can get on when it is still close. A lot of good players did not make the 23 , too many to mention. I am hoping Toony has called it right this time.
Leadership? What leadership? Read my comment about the Cardiff game two weeks ago.
Good morning Ron, I read your comment but there was nothing that would change my mind. Fact is, he has over 200 Edinburgh caps and over 80 scottish caps. Has led Scotland and Edinburgh on and off over the last 11 years.
He is not a favourite of mine , in fact has usurped many of my favourites over the years , however I have a respect him for his resilience and tenacity. A guy that fails to impress the terraces but gets picked has got something going for him. My guess is that he is a players player, the kind we all know has our back . He has seen a lot in that time from white line fever to throwing games away in closing seconds. If you are basing his lack of leadership credentials on a half he never showed up ( actually you never backed up your assertion so, that is just a guess ) , we would never pick any of them. Enjoy the game. You will get your wish soon enough.
It’s all about individual opinions I suppose but I always get the feeling that Townsend never selects the strongest team available & I think there are currently better options for the second row than Gilchrist & I appreciate that hasn’t always been the case. Likewise I think Darge is lucky to be selected for the bench considering he’s been injured & taking into account his recent form, Andy Onyeama-Christie is very unlucky to be overlooked. I’m also still wondering why Cam Redpath isn’t even in the squad.
You know what Ron. I will give you that. Toony is frustrating and often much too loyal and then complete polar opposite , picks a guy and drops him for no apparent reason. All we can really see over these years is he has created bredth and we could rhyme countless examples , however I do not wish to offend these guys, I feel sure they know who they are and will not disagree. However the Toony ship sailed long ago and for whatever reason , he remains. I do not think Darge is on form, which is likley due to his season being interupted through injuries. Gillco is just a safe pair of hands and not the most dynamic, however , I just think he is there to give confidence to less experienced guys should the wheels come off. The annoying thing is , tomorrow is our best chance I can think of in recent years. I can also see some thought out decisions such a Steyne in for DVM , the latter is not quite himself just now and I have never and I mean never , witnessed Kyle Steyn let anyone down. Once again , he is someone that gives confidence in a crisis. I get a good feel about this, if we are still in it at 60 minutes !!! It is the Dobie and Jordan show.
Well at least it looks a little less like ‘Love Island’ at murrayfield now Duhan’s voted out but Jordan’s hardness should be on show when the curtains open.
Are Jordan and Dobie even going to get the platform to do anything when they come on? Prop depth has big been a big area of concern for some time. Millar Mills and Sutherland will try their best but if we’re giving away scrum penalties then our backs will be starved of the ball. Ashman’s darts also need to be on the money.
I get the leadership argument about Gilchrist but Williamson is in better form and has an established partnership with Cummings. Townsend has form when it comes to loyalty over form picks. I’m still haunted by the Barclay and Duncan Taylor picks at the RWC.
We all forgot about Longhorn’s greedy attitude. At least 3 times in the first half he should have given the winger the ball. He hasn’t changed at all. And as for his defence of McKenzie’s try
Kinghorn not Longhorn lol
I agree, his defence is far too poor to be playing international rugby, at their first try he didn’t even attempt a tackle & his pathetic attempt at the last try was embarrassing. Even Farrell recognised his poor defence & moved him to the wing for the Lions but he’s a Townsend favourite, how often did he play him at stand-off when there were better alternatives. Kyle Rowe or Tom Jordan for the Argentina game.
Best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced at Murrayfield. Yes, we didn’t capitalise on opportunities in the first half, but that 40-70 minute performance was one of the best I’ve seen from Scotland. We scared the pants off the Kiwis who, to their credit, did what they needed to win the game. Interestingly, 3 separate NZ fans all considered GT to be in the top 3 of world class coaches, a belief not shared widely on this blog. They still see Scotland on an upward curve. Sad that we don’t seem to have the same faith in our management.
Oh no , really ! We had better watch out , he will get an offer he cannot refuse soon enough.
Kinghorn performed like an inept bambi yet again at two critical moments that cost us today. First, midway second half, with NZ carded leaving just one defender and Steyn on open overlap on the wing up the left in the 22, he veered middle into a pack of dumb trouble. Second, his floppery non-tackle on the DMAC winning try was as much use as a wet vest in Prestwick. He may have “long levers” but they’re not attached to any working brain. Never have been.
And here’s the other thing, Townsend. Thanks for finally having the guts to drop Dan Dare Duhan for a proper winger in Steyn. But what on earth made you haul back the troubled forehead of George Turner who personally created the Scottish line-out malaise of recent years? Ewan Ashman spent the entire game on 100% throw accuracy before you crooked him for Turner, who messed two of the three he had to deal with. There’s a guy called Johnny Matthews you seem not to have heard of…
For someone of his size Kinghorn should be far better in contact than he is. His defending (not just for the DMac try) was very poor. Is he worried about getting injured? He needs to be far more brave with his defending and carrying into contact.
Kyle Rowe should be in for ARG with Johnny Matthews on the bench. There are fine lines in these big games. One or two selection errors can be costly and the buck stops with one man.
To beat the All Blacks every single player has to be on their best form unfortunately there were a few who weren’t. I thought Fagerson was unusually quiet, he’s not a natural 7, Onyeama-Christie would have been a better choice. Even Darcy didn’t have his best game, he’s normally so reliable & as mentioned above I thought Kinghorn was awful. Only Townsend knows why he thinks Sykes is a better option for the bench than Williamson & Darge is clearly not fit enough or have any sort of form for international rugby just now, rushed back far too soon. Some incredible performances from Dempsey, Brown, Schoeman, Steyn while Hutchinson & Darcy Rae fully justified their selection. Another tough game next week hopefully Townsend makes some improvements to the 23.
That sums it up for me Ron , in a few words. I would add : I wondered if it was just me that felt Darcy had a very average day (by his standards) and I wonder if Toony will be brave enough to start Rowe at 15 and Dobie to start for Darcy (to the bench) , next week. Kinghorn and Dempsey have a swagger in their steps , one earned it, he can do whatever he likes and I wont complain. The rugby gods gifted him. The other, it is hard to put a finger on it , I wonder if he fit’s in with the team now. Always a bit marmite with the fans ( well this blog’s fans) and now isolated in France , maybe it is hard to gel, I felt he lack confidence yesterday.
All Blacks : You do not need to like them, but you have to respect them.
The scores were 17 all at 60:01 , we were still in it , despite the obvious . There were some amazing individual and collective performances. The scrum held , the defense was amazing , I even witnessed the AB’s going backwards in attack. Is that Lee Radford ? Augers well for the future. I did notice, first half, the AB’s drifting over and there was always an extra man on Darcy’s wing. It was just so easy! They were out to dominate Darcy and got their way, he droped the ball when scoring. Steyn was flawless and covered back , thankfully. Finally , the crowd , were , largely scots and transfixed by what was in front of them.
I think the comments in here are entirely valid. There is a few statements to be made.
Gentlemen (I make the presumption) – can anyone tell me what’s happened to this discussion blog recently? A few contributor names I remember from dynamic days a couple of years ago when opinions were floated like silky passes and grist was ground in the scrum of comments. Now it’s ground to a halt. Only 19 contributions after the All Blacks game? Where has everyone gone, because I’d like to follow the energy of yak about our great game too. Thanks.
Well said, Rock. It’s sad that there are far fewer posts here than there used to be. Such a shame, as nearly all posts were worth a read, whether or not you agreed with them.
I’ve dipped once or twice into the Scottish Rugby Supporters Facebook site and found it to contain some really nasty, sweary and aggressive exchanges.
I suppose it is up to us to keep “rocking ” up. I saw Neil dropped in recently.
If anyone has news on Fin’s Injury , can you comment ! That has to be a concern.
What happened is simple.
Cammy transitioned the main resources to the podcast. As years past by, they became lazy on the articles. And then it has mainly switched to a Patreon thing so they can make a few extra bucks. Add in the woke agenda they constantly pushed rather to focus on the rugby and they alienated a large section. Not allowing free yet respectful discussion on those controversial articles was the killing blow.
Not sure what they expected would happen – with the rise of TOSL and no paywall (until recently which will come back to bite them i suspect).
Only Rory has remained loyal to the SRB community. But we cannot expect him to manage it all on his own.
The Solution is simple: Write more articles from passionate people: There is an opportunity now to regain an audience with paywalls being put up on other sites. No woke BS – just the rugby. Match reports and players rating after each international would be a good place to start.
As soon as you use the word “woke” you’ve lost the argument.
Neil makes a few good points but as usual frequently from the wrong end of the stick.
Cammy didn’t transition anything anywhere, he launched the podcast (and has since retired from it) and our volunteer writers found it easier to commit a couple of hours midweek having a chat with mates than to writing up 1-2000wd articles semi-regularly and often at the weekend. As I can attest writing “5 things we’ve learned” when the national setup continues not to learn them is frustrating as a hobby. Over time we’ve had other things going on and I can’t say “no you’re a writer you can’t do the podcast” when everyone is a volunteer, so I rely on what I get sent in terms of words. We want both to be a success. In my opinion, our collective lack of time to write and thus the sporadic posting is the sole reason for any decline here.
Numerous of our most recent contributors like Evie and Findlay have gone on to paid work with SRN and TOL and you can’t argue with that. I’m not sure there’s a way to earn income here, though increased traffic does help with ad revenues – vicious circle! But I won’t put up a paywall. Even just as an editor it takes time to review submitted pieces, format and post them. As well as moderate the comments section when the debate gets heated (or is that just when Neil turns up). I may have more free time soon to work on the site, but it’s also very similar to my day job and occasionally these aging eyes need a break from the screen!
https://www.scottishrugbyblog.co.uk/2024/10/join-the-team-and-help-shape-the-direction-of-the-site/
I posted that this time last year, and BorderBadger came on board to help with the results database we now have, and is also helping record and edit the podcast. So we are always open to help – but just a heads up you might not get a reply right away.
Thanks for reading, when we do get something posted!
I suspect Rory could do with a ‘bench’ to call upon..earning a buck comes first.
A game we lost but definitely could have win. Not gonna say “should” because we always have a knack of losing games from winning positions. Kinghorns missed tackle was the ultimate difference between the sides but we would be kidding ourselves if we said without the yellows the ABs wouldn’t have cruised it. The fact we lost despite a man advantage for 30 mins says it all.
I suppose the counter argument to this is that the AB’s could have played within the laws. Did they set out to play 14 man rugby for 30 minutes. Did they set out to pull down the ruck on their line , or trip Darcy on the break ! If there was not a deliberate knock on , could we have strung a few passes in open play , and scored end to end for example.
We could see the positive being that we forced them into it.
The difference in my opinion is that they have the confidence to back themselves when the scoreboard went level at 60 minutes. They do it all the time. They are the mighty All Blacks.
The chalk talk does not exist when you are out there eye to eye.
Its kinda funny..Leghorn is scared of his opponents and his opponents are scared of him.For me his presence killed their kicking game before it started..no bad thing,it kept them in front us.
[sorry Rob,that one killed me]
Agree with much posted here. Personally I thought it was an epic performance, obviously gutting, but that’s where we are. Our biggest issue is the bench. Huge drop in performance not just basic skills, but intensity. Would we be better keeping our hooker on when he’s throwing beautifully? I get props get tired but Ashman looked fine…. Biggest shout out must go to D’Arcy Rae for not just holding the giant de Groot, but humbling him to an early exit, brilliant performance and a solid second to Zander going forward.
Reading the comments there is mixed views on who should be the replacement Hooker. Turner is not even playing in Europe while many question so many inexperienced hookers in the squad and the URC champion hooker Johnnie Matthews being overlooked. I think that is a very fair comment and as yet I have yet to see on field performances that would substantiate the exclusion of an experienced guy like Jonnie Matthews. Brings into question what is the purpose of these November Internationals. Is it gate money, 6 nations preparation or what? If we fail to secure the top 8 for the RWC I think these questions will rise to the surface.
I think more than a few of us thought “uh oh” when Ashman and Rae were announced in the starting XV but aside from Ashman’s defensive misstep for the opening try I thought his lineout was solid and he’s always good in the loose.