Jonny Gray (remember him) will lead Scotland A when they face an Italy XV in Rieti on Friday 6 February, with the match taking place at Stadio Centro d’Italia, kick-off 5.30pm GMT. The fixture will be shown live on YouTube (embed below for your viewing pleasure).
Head coach Nigel Carolan has handed Gray the captaincy, a familiar role for the second row if he remembers it from more than a decade back; he previously led Scotland A against England Saxons in 2014, a match that ended in a 16–16 draw at Scotstoun. Gray will line up in the engine room alongside Alex Craig and is named alonside a number of players probably unlucky to miss out on full selection and who may well feature later in the main tournament.
The front row sees Rory Sutherland and D’arcy Rae named at loosehead and tighthead prop respectively, with Gregor Hiddleston starting at hooker. Andy Onyeama-Christie is vice-captain and takes his place on the blindside flank, with Freddy Douglas on the openside and Alexander Masibaka completing the pack at number eight.
In the backs, Gus Warr is selected at scrum-half and is partnered by vice-captain Fergus Burke at fly-half. Cam Redpath starts at inside centre, with Ollie Smith named outside him. The back three is made up of Kyle Rowe on the right wing, Arron Reed on the left and Harry Paterson at full-back, giving a few clues as to the makeup of the Scotland selection which will be announced tomorrow.
On the bench, Harri Morris is the replacement hooker following his recent Scotland debut, with Alec Hepburn, Will Hurd and Magnus Bradbury providing cover across the front and second rows. Josh Bayliss and Euan Ferrie are the remaining forward replacements.
Watch it here via the FIR Youtube Channel:
Scotland A: Harry Paterson, Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, Cameron Redpath, Arron Reed, Fergus Burke, Gus Warr; Rory Sutherland, Gregor Hiddleston, D’arcy Rae, Jonny Gray (capt), Alex Craig, Andy Onyeama-Christie, Freddy Douglas, Alexander Masibaka.
Replacements: Harri Morris, Alec Hepburn, Will Hurd, Magnus Bradbury, Euan Ferrie, Josh Bayliss, Ben Afshar, Dan Lancaster.