Jamie Ritchie has been restored to Scotland’s starting XV for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup showdown with England a fortnight after being dropped from the squad altogether for the Six Nations home defeat by France.
The recently deposed captain is back in the side as one of three changes made by Gregor Townsend, with experienced duo Blair Kinghorn and Kyle Steyn returning to the back three.
Kyle Rowe, Harry Paterson and Matt Fagerson – all of whom started against Les Bleus – drop out of the squad altogether, with the bench unchanged.
Ritchie – who lost the captaincy to Finn Russell and Rory Darge earlier this year – started the first match of the Six Nations away to Wales before being left out against France, but the 27-year-old Edinburgh flanker is back in the number six jersey in place of Fagerson this weekend.
Toulouse full-back Kinghorn returns after missing the opening two matches with a knee injury sustained days before the championship began, while Glasgow wing Steyn – who started against Wales – is back in the mix after having to withdraw from the team on the morning of the France game when his wife went into labour.
Rowe, who started the first two matches in the absence of Kinghorn, has not made the squad this weekend, while 22-year-old Edinburgh back Paterson, who was drafted in at the last minute to start against France following Steyn’s withdrawal, is also out.
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 22, 2024
Scotland team to play England in Six Nations
Forwards: 1 Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby), 2 George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), 3 Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), 4 Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby), 5 Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), 6 Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh Rugby), 7 Rory Darge (Co-Captain, Glasgow Warriors), 8 Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors)
Backs: 9 Ben White (Toulon), 10 Finn Russell (Co-Captain, Bath Rugby), 11 Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby), 12 Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors), 13 Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), 14 Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors), 15 Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse)
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh Rugby), 17 Alec Hepburn (Exeter Chiefs), 18 Elliot Millar-Mills (Northampton Saints), 19 Sam Skinner (Edinburgh Rugby), 20 Andy Christie (Saracens), 21 George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), 22 Ben Healy (Edinburgh Rugby), 23 Cameron Redpath (Bath Rugby)