Scotland team to play Fiji: Many changes again as Test debutant unleashed at stand-off

Only Marshall Sykes, the Edinburgh lock forward, retains his place from the side that started in the win over the Maori All Blacks in last weekend’s non-cap international.

Fergus Burke, who came off the bench in Whangarei, will start against Fiji and win his first Scotland cap.

The New Zealand-born Saracens stand-off was part of Scotland’s Six Nations squad but didn’t feature during the championship. He qualifies through his Edinburgh-born grandfather and will become Scotland men’s cap number 1235.

Burke, 25, replaces Adam Hastings as Scotland’s starting 10, with the Glasgow Warriors fly-half dropping to the bench. Jamie Dobie will be at scrum-half alongside Burke, with George Horne dropping down to join Hastings among the replacements.

Scotland lost on their last visit to Fiji, in 2017, and head coach Gregor Townsend has picked a strong team for their return to Suva. Although he is without eight senior players who are with the British & Irish Lions in Australia, Townsend has still been able to call upon seasoned campaigners such as tour captain Rory Darge, Grant Gilchrist and Jamie Ritchie.

New centre pairing and experienced wingers

The rest of the all-new backline also boasts plenty of experience: Kyle Rowe comes in for the benched Ollie Smith at full-back, Darcy Graham and vice-captain Kyle Steyn replace Harry Paterson and Arron Reed on the wings and Cam Redpath and Tom Jordan take over from Rory Hutchinson and Stafford McDowall in the centre.

It’s all change in the front row as well. Rory Sutherland is at loosehead in place of Nathan McBeth, with Elliot Millar Mills at tighthead instead of Fin Richardson. Ewan Ashman is at hooker as Paddy Harrison drops out.

Gilchrist, also a vice-captain, will partner Sykes in the second row and behind them the back row is formed of Ritchie, Darge and Matt Fagerson, the latter making his return from a serious ankle injury sustained playing for Glasgow Warriors against Leinster in the Champions Cup quarter-final in Dublin on 11 April.

George Turner retains his place on the bench as back-up hooker and the replacement props are Alec Hepburn and Will Hurd. Max Williamson provides second-row cover and Josh Bayliss does the same for the back row. The backs on the bench are Glasgow trio Horne, Hastings and Smith.

Fiji come into the match on the back of a highly impressive performance in their narrow defeat by Australia last Sunday in Newcastle, New South Wales. They lost 57-17 to Scotland at Murrayfield in November but were without many of their French-based players for the match which took place outside the designated Test window.

They are likely to be a far more robust proposition in Suva on Saturday as Scotland look to make it two wins from two. The tour ends the following Friday with a match against Samoa in Auckland.

Scotland (v Fiji, HFC Bank Stadium, Suva, Saturday, 4am BST)

15. Kyle Rowe; 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Cameron Redpath, 12. Tom Jordan, 11. Kyle Steyn; 10. Fergus Burke, 9. Jamie Dobie; 1. Rory Sutherland, 2. Ewan Ashman, 3. Elliot Millar Mills, 4. Marshall Sykes, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. Jamie Ritchie, 7. Rory Darge, (capt), 8. Matt Fagerson. Replacements: 16. George Turner, 17. Alec Hepburn, 18. Will Hurd, 19. Max Williamson, 20. Josh Bayliss, 21. George Horne, 22. Adam Hastings, 23. Ollie Smith.