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One Change For Scotland Team This Weekend

By Martin Gray
March 7, 2025

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has announced the team to face Wales in their upcoming Guinness Six Nations match this Saturday, March 8 at Murrayfield, with kick-off scheduled for 16:45. The starting lineup features just one change from the side that narrowly lost to England last weekend, while adjustments have been made to the replacements bench.

The sole alteration to the starting XV sees the return of winger Darcy Graham, who missed the previous match against England due to a concussion sustained during Scotland’s earlier encounter with Ireland. Graham, a key figure for Scotland, brings a wealth of experience and fond memories against Wales, having made his international debut against them in 2018 and scoring his first try for Scotland against the same opposition in 2019. He replaces Kyle Rowe on the right wing, with Rowe shifting to the replacements.

Graham’s return bolsters an otherwise unchanged backline. Duhan van der Merwe, fresh off a Player of the Match performance in the 27-24 defeat to England, retains his spot on the left wing. The centre pairing of Huw Jones and Tom Jordan continues for the third consecutive game, while Blair Kinghorn remains at full-back. In the half-back positions, try-scorer Ben White, who has crossed the line in each of Scotland’s opening three championship fixtures, partners co-captain Finn Russell, who will orchestrate play from fly-half.

The forward pack is identical to the one that faced England, with no changes made to the starting eight. The front row consists of Pierre Schoeman at loosehead prop, Dave Cherry at hooker, and Zander Fagerson at tighthead prop. Jonny Gray and Grant Gilchrist continue their partnership in the second row, while the back row features Rory Darge and co-captain Jamie Ritchie as flankers, with Matt Fagerson at number eight.

On the bench, Townsend has reverted to a 5-3 forwards-to-backs split, adjusting from the previous week’s configuration. Rory Sutherland, now fit again, returns as loosehead prop cover, joining hooker Ewan Ashman and tighthead prop Javan Sebastian in the front-row reserves. Sam Skinner provides cover for the second row, and Jack Dempsey is named as the back-row replacement. In the backs, George Horne takes over from Jamie Dobie as scrum-half cover, with Sione Tuipulotu and Kyle Rowe rounding out the substitutes.

Reflecting on the selection, Townsend said, “We’ve had a really positive week of training so far and are looking forward to getting back to Scottish Gas Murrayfield for this weekend’s match against Wales. It’s great to welcome Darcy Graham back into the match day squad after he missed our game against England due to the graduated return to play protocols. He’s trained well this week and is eager to get back out there.”

Townsend also acknowledged the challenge posed by Wales, who pushed Ireland close in their last outing despite a narrow defeat. “Wales showed in their performance against Ireland that they are a really strong team with a lot of threats across their backline and forward pack,” he noted. “We know we’ll have to be at our best to get a positive result this weekend.”

Scotland currently sit on one win from three matches in the 2025 Six Nations, having beaten Italy but fallen to Ireland and England. A victory against Wales, who have yet to secure a win in this year’s tournament, would provide a significant boost ahead of their final fixture against France. The match promises to be a compelling contest as Scotland aim to capitalise on their home advantage and Graham’s return to secure a vital result in the championship.