Lineen shuffles pack for England encounter
Head coach Sean Lineen has made a number of changes to the side that took on their Irish counterparts in Athlone last weekend, for the team to meet England at Netherdale on Friday (7 February).
Both the Scots and the English lost in their opening matches of their 6 Nations and will be looking to redress their defeats, with Scotland looking forward to the backing of a home crowd at the Borders ground.
Jamie Farndale (wing), Neil Herron (inside centre) and Ben Chalmers (stand-off) are the only backs to retain their positions in the starting XV, with Damien Hoyland moving from outside centre to the wing. Coming off the bench are full back Ruairidh Young and last Friday’s try scorer Ben Vellacott (scrum half) while extended squad member Blair Hutchison comes in at outside centre.
The forward pack has also undergone a reshuffle, prop Jack Cosgrove elevated from the bench to start, and Buchan Richardson and Magnus Bradbury swapping positions in the back three, at flanker and no 8 respectively.
New on to the bench in the front row is Glasgow Hawks’ Chris Barnes with Scotland 7s’ Chris Dean and former England under-18, Northampton Saints Academy and Canterbury flanker Gabriel Carroll joining the squad.
Lineen said: “We need to improve on the Irish game. It was a steep learning curve for the players but they have responded well in training this week.
“We now face the current world champions, England, chock full of Aviva and even Heineken experience. We need to match their physicality across the field and play to our strengths.
“Everyone is looking for a big performance and we need a huge home support to create a special atmosphere on the night”
Kick-off at Netherdale on Friday is 7.30pm with admission free to under-18s – concessions are £5 and adults £10. The match will also be streamed live via Scottish Rugby’s YouTube channel, Scottishrugbyonline.
Scotland under-20 team to take on England under-20, Friday 7 February, Netherdale, kick-off 7.30pm
15 Ruairidh Young (Edinburgh Accies)
14 Jamie Farndale (Edinburgh Accies/Edinburgh Rugby) **
13 Blair Hutchison (Loughborough/Melrose)
12 Neil Herron (Glasgow Hawks/Scotland 7s) **
11 Damien Hoyland (Melrose) *
10 Ben Chalmers (Melrose)
9 Ben Vellacott (Worcester Warriors/Hartpury)
1 Jack Cosgrove (Worcester Warriors)
2 Sam James (London Wasps)
3 D’arcy Rae (Ayr/Glasgow Warriors) **
4 Andrew Cramond (Aberdeen Grammar Rugby)
5 Glen Young (Newcastle Falcons)
6 Buchan Richardson (London Scottish)
7 Tommy Spinks (London Scottish) CAPTAIN
8 Magnus Bradbury (Boroughmuir/Edinburgh Rugby) **
Substitutes
16 James Malcolm (Ayr) *
17 Philip Cringle (Edinburgh Accies/Edinburgh Rugby) **
18 Chris Barnes (Glasgow Hawks)
19 Lewis Carmichael (Melrose) *
20 Gabriel Carroll (Loughborough University)
21 Murdo McAndrew (Clermont Auvergne)
22 Ben Cooper (Boroughmuir)
23 Chris Dean (Edinburgh Accies/ Scotland 7s) **
* member of Scottish Rugby’s Regional Academy supported by sportscotland Institute of Sport
** Elite Development Player 2013/14
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