Scotland made six substitutions in their squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup warm-up rematch with France on Saturday, including the return of flanker Jamie Ritchie to lead the team in Saint Etienne. Scotland rallied behind to defeat second team France 25-21 in Edinburgh last weekend and are aiming to boost morale doubly over the much vaunted RWC hosts.
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Richie makes up the back row of the scrum, which also includes Rory Darge and number eight Jack Dempsey, while Richie Gray and Grant Gilchrist make up a lock pair. George Turner has been chosen as the prostitute and will be flanked by a couple of South African props dressed as Pierre Schuman and V.P. Nelya.
Finn Russell will aim to control the game from the flyhalle, Ali Price prefers the scrimmage, while Sione Tuipulotu and Hugh Jones are in midfield. They start together for the seventh time in 2023. Blair Kinghorn plays at fullback, with another pair of South Africans on each flank in Dushan van der Merwe and Kyle Stein.
Coach Gregor Townsend opted for a 6-2 ratio on the bench, with scrimmage linebacker George Horn and the versatile Ollie Smith as two choices among the backs.
Scotland Rugby World Cup Squad
15. Blair Kinghorn, 14. Kyle Stein, 13. Hugh Jones, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Doohan van der Merwe, 10. Finn Russell, 9. Ali Price, 1. Pierre Schuman, 2. George Turner, 3. WP Nel, 4. Ritchie Grey, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. Jamie Ritchie (captain), 7. Rory Darge, 8. Jack Dempsey
Replacements: 16. Stuart McInally, 17. Rory Sutherland, 18. Javan Sebastian, 19. Scott Cummings, 20. Sam Skinner, 21. Josh Bayliss, 22. George Horne, 23. Ollie Smith.
Scotland boss ‘confident’ Ben White will make Rugby World Cup despite injury setback
Gregor Townsend is confident Ben White will be fit for the Rugby World Cup despite the Scottish midfielder not traveling to France for Saturday’s warm-up match in St Etienne. The 25-year-old, who started each of the Six Nations matches earlier this year, was forced to leave after suffering from apparent discomfort with an ankle injury in the first half of last weekend’s victory over Le Bleus at Murrayfield.
White stayed in Scotland while the rest of the team flew out on Sunday to their Rugby World Cup training base near Nice. His number nine shirt was taken by Ali Price for Saturday’s test at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. Ben is fine, Townsend said, speaking to media on Thursday after his team’s announcement. He is not in our group now, he stayed at home to continue his rehabilitation.
“Given the fact that we had two flights, one here to our training camp, then one to St. Etienne, and obviously a few full workouts, we figured it would be best for Ben to stay home, get a physio and rest.”
Positive Progress for Ben White’s Recovery
We are confident that Ben will be back in training next or next week. We have an appointment for him on Monday with a specialist to see how he’s progressing. This gives us clarity ahead of the announcement of our squad for the Rugby World Cup (Wednesday), but from yesterday’s conversation with the medics, it seems to be progressing positively, as we thought.
Another player who will miss this weekend is Zander Fagerson, but Townsend is relieved that he will be able to turn to Glasgow for support in the first Rugby World Cup match against South Africa after he was effectively suspended in total. challenged French prostitute Pierre Bourgari two matches after a red card for high over the weekend.
“I was part of the group that, along with Zander and our team manager (David Edge), presented Zander’s case, and I thought that the panel’s approach to this issue was based on the fact that they understood that Zander’s actions were untimely, and were not intent to harm his adversary, Townsend said, reflecting on Tuesday’s hearing.”
He controlled his actions, so when Zander pleaded guilty to the charge, we got a sanction that obviously could have been worse, but what we believe was consistent with an accident, not a deliberate violation of the rules.
Zander Fagerson’s Relief and Focus for South Africa Clash
“That Zander can now focus on being available for the first game against South Africa is a huge boost for Zander. Any longer suspension would have taken him out of this game or possibly out of the Rugby World Cup, so he now has four weeks before we play South Africa to make sure he is in top physical shape.”
Townsend was a six-time substitute for the team that started against the French last weekend: Kyle Stein, Price, V.P. Nel, George Turner, Rory Darge and Captain Jamie Ritchie took over from Darcy Graham, White, Fagerson, Ewan Ashman, Hamish Watson and Matt Fagerson. RWC fans can buy Ireland Vs Tonga Tickets from our website.
Ritchie missed the previous two warm-up matches due to a minor calf problem. Jamie is probably in the best shape I’ve seen in the last few years, Townsend said. He had a few injuries that stopped him from progressing, but he built what he did in the Six Nations and I think he got better and stronger.
We had some lively sessions and twice we had complete success and Jamie really stood out. This week he has been fully training in hot conditions and looking good, so we can’t wait to see how he plays. Graham and Matt Fagerson were given days off after being the only two players to start the previous two warm-up matches.
They’re both fine physically and both wanted to play, but there’s an increased risk when you launch people in three Test matches in three weeks, which is why they missed this weekend, Townsend said.
Crucial Decisions Looming Ahead of Final Roster Announcement
Townsend cut four players from his provisional roster last weekend and is due to select another quartet by Wednesday when he names his final roster of 33 for the Rugby World Cup. We are closer because we have a smaller squad here, so there are fewer decisions to make, he said. As far as what that final lineup will be, this weekend we have to make sure we make the best decision.
“The players who get the chance to play this weekend can make a lasting impression, but it’s exactly what they did at the Rugby World Cup training camp and the games we’re thinking about right now. We know it will be very difficult to reduce a 37-man squad to 33, and obviously we hope there will be no injuries in our selection debate on Sunday and Monday.”
France have rebuilt most of their strong strikers for this weekend’s match after fielding a largely second team at Murrayfield, and Townsend is set to face a major test in the Saturday night heat, with daytime temperatures up to 32 degrees forecast for St. Etienne.
Home Advantage and Energetic Crowd
France is one of the best teams in the world, they have the first team that has played a lot of rugby together in the last few years. And just as importantly, they play at home, Townsend said. The French have been very noisy this year, whether at the Stade de France. At the under-20 match, at the women’s international or at the club match, so we are sure that we will find ourselves in a very noisy and hostile atmosphere. Saint Etienne.
“And in doing so, we also have to deal with weather conditions. It was very hot here and it will probably be around 20 degrees when the game starts at 9pm. They don’t have many games left before the opening of the Rugby World Cup. So I’m sure they will want to show their best game, just like us.”
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