Hogg leads experienced Scotland against Australia

Fri, Nov 5, 2021, 10:00 PM
AFP
by AFP
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has spoken to media in Edinburgh after announcing his 23 against Scotland.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has unveiled a Test-hardened side to play Australia at Murrayfield on Sunday.

It features just the one change to the starting lineup that finished the 2021 Six Nations with a 27-23 win away to France in Paris in March.

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Loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman -- who made his Test debut during last week's 60-14 rout of Tonga -- was in the front row announced on Friday after injury ruled out Rory Sutherland, the only member of the Scotland team in Paris not involved against the Wallabies.

Townsend has selected all of his available British and Irish Lions contingent, with Stuart Hogg returning to captain the team.

The Exeter Chiefs full-back missed the Tonga match because his English club was not obliged to release him for a fixture outside the Test window.

Meanwhile, two other Lions in Ali Price and Finn Russell form Scotland's half-back pairing, with Matt Fagerson in at No.8.

Kyle Steyn, who scored four tries against Tonga last weekend, is on a bench from where Sale Sharks hooker Ewan Ashman and Bath back-rower Josh Bayliss could make their Scotland debuts.

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Australia are on a five-match winning streak following a 32-23 victory away to Japan last month.

"While there were several positives to take from the win against Tonga we face a very different opponent in Australia this week," said Townsend.

"They are coming into this fixture clearly off the back of good results and full of confidence, so we will need to bring focus, accuracy and aggression for the full 80 minutes," added the former Scotland fly-half. 

Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg (capt); Darcy Graham, Chris Harris, Sam Johnson, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Matt Fagerson, Hamish Watson, Jamie Ritchie; Grant Gilchrist, Sam Skinner; Zander Fagerson, George Turner, Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Jamie Bhatti, Oli Kebble, Jamie Hodgson, Josh Bayliss, George Horne, Adam Hastings, Kyle Steyn

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