Scotland recall Lions pair for Six Nations clash in Wales
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn Internationals - Scotland v Tonga - Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain - November 23, 2025 Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe in action before scoring their fourth try REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo
Feb 19 : Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn and wing Duhan van der Merwe are back in the starting lineup among five changes made by coach Gregor Townsend for the Six Nations clash against ailing Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
The pair, part of the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia last year, were surprisingly left out of Scotland's opening two games, a surprise 18-15 loss to Italy in Rome and a 31-20 win over England in Edinburgh last weekend.
Van der Merwe is the country's record try-scorer with 35 and replaces the injured Jamie Dobie, who hurt his shoulder last Saturday and underwent surgery on Thursday.
“We expect Duhan to play his best rugby, which is what we expect from all our players,” said coach Gregor Townsend at a virtual press conference from Scotland's training base at Oliva Nova in Spain.
“We want to see Duhan’s strength in ball carrying. He has worked really hard on the aerial side of the game, and we’ve got to make sure he gets opportunities to run.”
Kinghorn, who was allowed to have a run out with his French club Toulouse last Sunday, replaces Tom Jordan, who Townsend wants to use as an impact player off the bench.
“Like any player, you want to be part of the squad and for those players that have been in our squad for a few years, it has been tough for them to take,” said Townsend of the omissions.
“But they're back in the team. They understand the reasons why we had different selections going into our opening two games, and now they have an opportunity to represent their country again,” the coach added.
THREE PLAYERS INJURED AGAINST ENGLAND LAST WEEKEND
Number eight Matt Fagerson returns after a stellar performance off the bench against England, with a shuffle among the loose forwards after Jamie Ritchie broke a shin bone and Jack Dempsey suffered a bicep injury at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Gregor Brown moves from second row to the flank, which allows Max Williamson to come in at lock. Dave Cherry was chosen to start at hooker ahead of George Turner, who drops to the bench.
Scotland have won their last three Six Nations matches against struggling Wales, including an epic contest in Cardiff in 2024 when they raced into a 27-0 lead but had to hold on grimly for a 27-26 victory.
Team:
15-Blair Kinghorn, 14-Kyle Steyn, 13-Huw Jones, 12-Sione Tuipulotu (captain), 11-Duhan van der Merwe, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ben White, 8-Matt Fagerson, 7-Rory Darge, 6-Gregor Brown, 5-Scott Cummings, 4-Max Williamson, 3-Zander Fagerson, 2-Dave Cherry, 1-Nathan McBeth
Replacements: 16-George Turner, 17-Pierre Schoeman, 18-Elliot Millar Mills, 19-Grant Gilchrist, 20-Josh Bayliss, 21-George Horne, 22-Tom Jordan, 23-Darcy Graham
