Scotland open their Quilter Nations Series campaign this Saturday against the USA at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Duhan van der Merwe set to win his 50th cap. The country’s record men’s try-scorer already sits on 32 and Darcy Graham is close behind him in the rankings; both men will look at a USA side filled with unattached or MLR-based players and rub their hands.
On the other hand, it’s hard to see how the team prepares for the All-Blacks next weekend with an out-of-window fixture where they can only field a side with home-based players. Some prep is better than no prep, maybe?
Stafford McDowall takes on the captaincy once again, having led Scotland in the summer against the Māori All Blacks and previously versus Portugal last autumn. It’s another chance for him to build on that leadership role within a squad still feeling out its depth ahead of sterner tests to come.
Gregor Townsend’s first selection of the season includes a couple of fresh faces. Edinburgh back-rower Liam McConnell makes his debut, starting at blindside flanker, while his clubmate Harri Morris is in line for a first cap from the bench. Both impressed for Emerging Scotland last year and now get their shot in the senior setup.
Kyle Rowe is at fullback, while skipper McDowall links up in midfield with Ollie Smith, while Jamie Dobie starts at scrum-half and takes on vice-captaincy duties alongside his half-back partner Adam Hastings.
Huw Jones is recovering from surgery, but the first choice 9-10-12 of White, Finn and Sione are can’t feature until next week at the earliest.
Up front, new cap McConnell joins Dylan Richardson (is he a hooker, is he not?) on the flanks with Jack Dempsey back at No.8 for his first appearance since the Six Nations. Lion Scott Cummings also wears the vice-captain armband and pairs with Marshall Sykes in the engine room. The front row features Rory Sutherland, Patrick Harrison and D’Arcy Rae – the latter making his first Scotland start after a string of strong club performances.
The bench sees another new cap in Edinburgh’s Harri Morris joined by fellow front-rowers Nathan McBeth and Murphy Walker, with Alex Samuel and Max Williamson providing second-row cover. Edinburgh captain Magnus Bradbury returns to a Scotland matchday squad for the first time since 2022, while George Horne and Ross Thompson offer pace and control from the replacements.
As is normal with the “extra” fixture, it’s a mix of opportunities and unfamiliar combinations – classic autumn fare from Townsend. The USA might not offer the toughest test on paper, but for debutants like McConnell and Morris it’s still got the feel of a big afternoon at Murrayfield.
Scotland: Kyle Rowe, Darcy Graham, Ollie Smith, Stafford McDowall (capt), Duhan van der Merwe, Adam Hastings, Jamie Dobie; Rory Sutherland, Patrick Harrison, D’Arcy Rae, Scott Cummings, Marshall Sykes, Liam McConnell, Dylan Richardson, Jack Dempsey.
Replacements: Harri Morris, Nathan McBeth, Murphy Walker, Alex Samuel, Max Williamson, Magnus Bradbury, George Horne, Ross Thompson.
USA: Erich Storti, Mitch Wilson, Dominic Besag, Tommaso Boni, Toby Fricker, Chris Hilsenbeck, Ruben de Haas; Ezekiel Lindenmuth, Kaleb Geiger, Pono Davis, Marno Redelinghuys, Jason Damm, Viliami Helu, Cory Daniel, Paddy Ryan.
Replacements: Sean McNulty, Payton Telea-Ilalio, Maliu Niuafe, Tevita Naqali, Makeen Alikhan, Ethan McVeigh, Tavite Lopeti, Luke Carty.
