Scotland's coach, Gregor Townsend, announced on Wednesday that the two forwards selected to join the British & Irish Lions will play in Friday's test against Samoa at Eden Park in Auckland. These players are loosehead prop Rory Sutherland and hooker Ewan Ashman. They are scheduled to depart for Australia on Sunday to strengthen the Lions squad for their match against the First Nations-Pasifika team in Melbourne on July 22nd.
Before their departure, both Sutherland and Ashman will participate in the upcoming game against Samoa. Townsend has made significant changes to the starting lineup following last weekend's 29-14 defeat to Fiji. He has introduced five new players and made one positional adjustment.
Darcy Graham, who joined the Lions on Monday, is replaced on the right wing by Kyle Steyn. Steyn moves from the left wing, making way for Arron Reed. Tom Jordan is unavailable due to a fractured hand sustained in Suva, with Rory Hutchinson and Stafford McDowall taking his and Cameron Redpath’s places in the centres.
In the second row, Gregor Brown replaces Marshall Sykes, partnering with Grant Gilchrist. Andy Onyeama-Christie returns to the starting lineup on the side of the scrum, replacing Jamie Ritchie, who was forced off the field after 21 minutes last Saturday due to a foot injury. The bench will feature a 6-2 split, with prop Fin Richardson potentially earning his first cap.
5 Comments
Coccinella
Bringing in fresh talent shows confidence in the squad depth. Can’t wait to see how this plays out!
Muchacho
Rory Hutchinson and Stafford McDowall are capable players! Let’s give them a chance to show what they can do.
ZmeeLove
Gregor Townsend is making too many changes too quickly. This is just chaos before a crucial match!
Habibi
Gregor Brown is a solid addition to the lineup – let’s hope he helps stabilize the scrum.
ZmeeLove
Injuries can be tough, but they often create opportunities for others to step up. Let’s go, team!