Scotland team to play New Zealand: Star men left out as shock call made at prop

Gregor Townsend has sprung a couple of surprises in his starting side to face New Zealand on Saturday which leans heavily on Glasgow Warriors who supply 10 of the 15.

Rory Sutherland has been picked ahead of Pierre Schoeman at loosehead prop for the Nations Championship clash at Murrayfield. And Kyle Rowe has been preferred to Blair Kinghorn. Schoeman and Kinghorn are both named on the bench.

Sutherland, 34, has played just one match this season for Glasgow Warriors, against Benetton, after missing the start of the campaign due to a calf injury.

Sione Tuipulotu will captain Scotland against New Zealand. | SNS Group / SRU

Rowe has been in fine form for Glasgow and impressed for Scotland at full-back during the summer Nations Championship games against Argentina and South Africa, games Kinghorn missed after his late finish to the season with Toulouse.

Elsewhere, Huw Jones has been given the nod to partner captain Sione Tuipulotu in the centre, meaning Rory Hutchinson misses out. The wing berths are filled by Glasgow duo Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie and the half-backs are Finn Russell and Ben White.

There are no places in the matchday 23 for Scotland’s top try scorers Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe.

Up front, Sutherland is joined in the front row by hooker Ewan Ashman and tighthead Zander Fagerson. Ashman is the only Edinburgh player in the starting XV. Scott Cummings and Gregor Brown make up the second row after the pair impressed in the defeat by the Springboks in July.

The back is the familiar combination of Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey.

The match will see a couple of notable landmark appearances. Russell will win his 100th Test cap (four of which came with the British and Irish Lions) and Dempsey will win his 50th. The No 8 was capped 14 times for Australia before switching allegiance in 2022 and winning another 35.

Front-row back-up on the bench is provided by Gregor Hiddleston, Pierre Schoeman and Will Hurd. Head coach Townsend has opted for five-three split of forwards and backs, with Max Williamson and Josh Bayliss covering the second and back rows, respectively.

The backs on the bench are George Horne, Tom Jordan and Kinghorn.

The match kicks off at 2.10pm and is the first of three Nations Championship Tests at Murrayfield, with Australia and Japan due in the next couple of weeks.