Last Updated: 22/09/23 9:00am
Scotland’s Chris Harris
British and Irish Lions pair Rory Sutherland and Chris Harris have been
restored to the Scotland XV for Sunday’s World Cup pool B match against Tonga.
Head coach Gregor Townsend has made four changes in total to his starting line-up for the must-win encounter in Nice, with Scott Cummings and Kyle Steyn also added.
Prop Sutherland will make only his second start for the national team in 19 months after slipping down the pecking order since his involvement with the Lions two years ago. The 31-year-old takes the place of Pierre Schoeman, who drops to the bench.
Similarly, centre Harris, who also toured South Africa with the Lions in 2021, will make only his second international start of 2023 after losing his place to Huw Jones at the start of the year. Jones drops to the bench.
Wing Steyn is back in the team in place of Darcy Graham after declaring he was “absolutely gutted” to be left out of the 23 for the South Africa match.
The other change to the starting line-up sees lock Scott Cummings step in for Grant Gilchrist, who drops out of the matchday squad. Scrum-half George Horne and hooker Ewan Ashman are both on the bench after missing the 18-3 defeat against the Springboks with concussion.
“We have to impose our game-plan and our fitness on Tonga, and show our skills in the final quarter of the match,” Townsend said. “They are strong at the breakdown and we know they are going to be a massively physical threat at the set-piece.”
Scotland have won four of their five previous meetings with Tonga, all by more than 20 points, but were beaten 21-15 in Aberdeen in 2012.
Starting XV: 15. Blair Kinghorn, 14. Kyle Steyn, 13. Chris Harris, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Duhan van der Merwe, 10. Finn Russell, 9. Ben White, 1. Rory Sutherland, 2. George Turner, 3. Zander Fagerson, 4. Richie Gray, 5. Scott Cummings, 6. Jamie Ritchie, 7. Rory Darge, 8. Jack Dempsey
Replacements: 16. Ewan Ashman, 17, Pierre Schoeman, 18. WP Nel, 19. Sam Skinner, 20. Matt Fagerson, 21. George Horne, 22. Huw Jones, 23. Darcy Graham
