LUKE CROSBIE will captain the Scotland A team which will kick off this summer’s tour of South America against Chile in Santiago tomorrow (Saturday) night. The 25-year-old Edinburgh flanker picked up his one and only Scotland cap to date against Tonga las October, and will be joined in the back row of this non-cap match by uncapped Edinburgh team-mate Ben Muncaster and the more experienced Matt Fagerson, who will be playing his first game since breaking his arm at the end of the Six Nations in March.
Scott Cummings also returns from injury to start in the second row alongside Jamie Hodgson, while Scarlets prop Javan Sebastian (capped once) starts at tight-head in a front row which also features Jamie Bhatti and Dave Cherry.
It is an all-Glasgow-Warriors midfield of George Horne, Ross Thompson and vice-captain for the day Sione Tuipulotu, with Edinburgh’s Matt Currie at outside centre, while the back three consists of Damien Hoyland of Edinburgh in the right wing and two more Warriors in Rufus McLean and Ollie Smith on the right wing and at full-back respectively.
Mark Dodson’s contract extended to June 2025
Scottish Rugby appoint two specialist skills coaches
Club fixture schedule for 2022-23 season announced
Head coach Gregor Townsend has selected a combination of experience and emerging talent on the bench, with uncapped trio Johnny Matthews, Murphy Walker and Glen Young named alongside seasoned campaigners Pierre Schoeman, Magnus Bradbury, Ali Price, Blair Kinghorn and Mark Bennett.
English Premiership players are unavailable for this match due to the game falling outside of the international window.
Chile will use the match as preparation for their Rugby World Cup play-offs against USA after beating Canada last year in an Americas qualifying match. This will be the first time Chile have played a Six Nationsteam in more than 60 years.
Following the match in Santiago, Scotland will travel to Argentina for a three-Test series.
Scotland (v Chile at Estadio Santa Laura Universidad SEK, Santiago, Live on Premier Sports @ 9pm): O Smith; D Hoyland, M Currie, S Tuipulotu, R McLean; R Thompson, G Horne; J Bhatti, D Cherry, J Sebastian, J Hodgson, S Cummings, B Muncaster, L Crosbie©, M Fagerson.
Replacements: J Matthews, P Schoeman, M Walker, G Young, M Bradbury, A Price, B Kinghorn, M Bennett.
Don’t know much about their rugby yet but Jeeze the Chilean’s need to improve their singing.
Kicks off @ 9pm, Saturday, live on Premier Sports 1. Repeated on FreeSports on Monday, 27th.
I’m interested to see how Tuipulotu goes. I see him as more of a 13 than a 12 and Johnson has nailed down the 12 position at Glasgow. I also think his form dipped when he came back from the 6 nations. Townsend clearly fancies him at 12 and has introduced him in to the leadership group. Will be interesting to see how he goes with a new midfield partner and also how it goes when Bennett comes on against a tiring defence.
Great to see Crosbie leading the side. This should be no walkover, Chile were impressive in the WC qualifiers against Canada and have some quality backs. They’ve got some passionate fans and a feisty pack so should be a reasonable test.
Only 4 of the starting XV have more than 5 caps. 3 of those 4 (Cummings, Fagerson and Horne) are on their way back from significant injuries, while in actuality, Horne and Bhatti have only STARTED 3 internationals. So I think it is fair to call it an ‘A’ XV.
With the game falling outside the international window, a significant number of players were not available to win caps, so it would have been wrong for that reason as well to call it a full international.
Those of the tour party who have been omitted from this game, although eligible to play in it are all experienced internationals – Graham, Johnson, Fagerson Z, Gilchrist and Watson – with the exception of Rory Darge, who for all we know may not yet be fit enough to play.
With an average age of 23 among the staring XV it is also a pleasingly young side.
Good ‘A’ selection.
Only 4 of the starting XV have more than 5 caps. 3 of those 4 (Cummings, Fagerson and Horne) are on their way back from significant injuries, while in actuality, Horne and Bhatti have only STARTED 3 internationals. So I think it is fair to call it an ‘A’ XV.
With the game falling outside the international window, a significant number of players were not available to win caps, so it would have been wrong for that reason as well to call it a full international.
Those of the tour party who have been omitted from this game, although eligible to play in it are all experienced internationals – Graham, Johnson, Fagerson Z, Gilchrist and Watson – with the exception of Rory Darge, who for all we know may not yet be fit enough to play.
With an average age of 23 among the staring XV it is also a pleasingly young side.
Good ‘A’ selection.
It’s NOT tomorrow night, it’s Saturday night. Get facts straight before submitting the article
It is tomorrow night, what you on about Kevin, says so in the article.
its on Saturday
Looks like Saturday night according to the Premier Sports schedule and SRU website. Top 14 final is on Premier Sport tomorrow evening. Castres v Montpellier, should be worth a watch too.
Don’t really know what to expect from Chile but I’d expect this to be a bruising encounter as these guys will be up for it. Good chance for our boys to catch the eye and get some game time ahead of sterner tests.
Just a thought back to 1996 into 1999 – Scotland v Chile three times at under-19 age in the World Junior Championship matches. I was twice at those – Scotland lost to Chile by 3-7 at Decazeville, France, in 1998, but thankfully the Scots reverted well by 45-0 against Chile at Aberavon in Wales. The first match between Scotland and Chile was a draw 17-17 at Ghed in Italy.
I was at all of Scotland’s four matches in that 1998 championship. The opening start followed another loss – by Wales. But the Scots then thankfully two wins – against Russia by 45-5 and Spain by 56-10.
The next year in 1999 in that under-19 contest in the Scots had three wins – not only Chile but also against Italy and England!
It’s a really strong bench for a non-cap A game?
Seems odd to have so many established players for what should be an easy run out?
Why call it Scotland A? Cancelled one v England different cos that was against an A team. But this is Chile’s full team who’re preparing for WC qualifier right after. Calling it Scotland and capping boys would change nothing from squad they’d put out.
No Gallagher Premiership players – because the game falls outside the international window.
However, the Gallagher Premiership Grand Final was last Saturday – so it is now their close season. I don’t see why this jumped-up competition can conflict with Scotland’s selection.
Usual inept, inaccurate, disparaging, pejorative and irrelevant remark from our one-fingered correspondent in darkest football country. What could be more “jumped up” than Silly 6, for which you constantly appear to be Billy’s paid-off cheerleader, Aristotle?
Probably 13 fairly established internationals in that 23. Bit rough on Chile to call it a non-cap match?
Please fix the typos. Match is not vs Georgia. Is Turner playing prop? Or is it Schoeman on the bench?
Otherwise, I’m quite excited for the start of the tour. Should be a walk in the park, but imagine Chile will want to show what they can do.