Stafford McDowall will captain Scotland this Saturday as they face off against Portugal in the third clash of The Famous Grouse Nations Series.
Following a win over Fiji and a loss to the Springboks, Head Coach Gregor Townsend has heavily rotated his side with only Tom Jordan remaining in the starting XV.
McDowall, who has previously skippered Glasgow Warriors and led Scotland against Canada during the summer, will line up alongside Rory Hutchinson in midfield. Hutchinson, a standout performer for Northampton Saints, returns to the fold for the first time since the 2022 summer tour of Argentina and is long overdue a chance again in a Scotland shirt.
Darcy Graham makes his return following a concussion suffered after his four-try haul against Fiji earlier in the month. Across from him, Arron Reed will occupy the other wing, fresh off his two-try debut on the summer tour against Canada. Alongside Jordan and replacement Kyle Rowe, all of the back three players will feel there is a chance to feature against Australia next weekend given a good enough performance.
Up front, Patrick Harrison and Will Hurd add to their summer tour caps, while Ben Muncaster is set for his first appearance for Scotland in the back row. Muncaster has been one of the standouts in a misfiring Edinburgh side. Muncaster previously turned out for Scotland A against Chile during the 2022 summer tour.
Alex Samuel is also set to earn his first cap in the second row, having made his pro debut with Glasgow Warriors in a thumping 37-0 win over Benetton back in November 2022. Partnering him will be Scarlets’ Alex Craig.
Johnny Matthews is listed on the bench, as is Elliot Millar Mills alongside Rory Sutherland. The hefty Ewan Johnson covers second row, with the Oyannax lock making his mark during the summer.
Also on the bench, 19-year-old Freddy Douglas could make his debut and become the youngest Scotland cap since Donald White in 1963. Douglas has come through the ranks from Scotland U18 to U20, showcasing his defensive prowess in the U20 Six Nations with a staggering 77 tackles and 12 breakdown steals. He is yet to feature for the Edinburgh senior team.
Scotland: Tom Jordan, Darcy Graham, Rory Hutchinson, Stafford McDowall, Arron Reed, Adam Hastings, George Horne; Jamie Bhatti, Patrick Harrison, Will Hurd, Alex Craig, Alex Samuel, Luke Crosbie, Ben Muncaster, Josh Bayliss.
Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Rory Sutherland, Elliot Millar Mills, Ewan Johnson, Freddy Douglas, Jamie Dobie, Matt Currie, Kyle Rowe.
Portugal: Simao Bento, Raffaele Storti, Jose Lima, Tomas Appleton, Lucas Martins, Domingos Cabral, Samuel Marques; David Costa, Luka Begic, Diogo Hasse Ferreira, Jose Madeira, Duarte Torgal, Andre Cunha, Nicolas Martins, Federico Couto.
Replacements: Abel Cunha, Pedro Vicente, Antonio Prim, Antonio R. Andrade, Vasco Baptista, Antonio Campos, Hugo Aubry, Manuel Cardoso Pinto.
