Scotland will play their second of four Nations Championship matches this weekend as Australia visit Murrayfield following the disappointment of last Saturday’s 43-21 defeat to New Zealand.
With two more fixtures to play after this one it’s likely that the coaching team will have to consider some rotation in key positions. There were also a few below-par performers from the All Blacks loss who could be at risk of losing their place as well as some tactical considerations.
Here is The Scotsman’s predicted starting XV and replacements for the fixture and where we think some of the potentially match defining selections could be made:
17. Nathan McBeth
Has been in good form for Glasgow Warriors this season so more rotation should see him take the place of Rory Sutherland, another who only recently returned from injury, in the side | Getty Images
18. Will Hurd
Many Scotland fans will be eager to see Ollie Blyth-Lafferty get his chance but that is probably more likely next week with the more experienced Leicester Tigers man the current understudy to Zander Fagerson | SNS Group / SRU
19. Max Williamson
Seems to be establishing himself as the main lock rotation option but the coaching team do have a few options in this position to choose from | Getty Images
20. Matt Fagerson
Starting from the bench could offer the back rower an opportunity to make a real impact with fresh legs in the second half