Hogg and Gray set for English battle
By Mark Stevens
4/2/21
Exeter Chiefs full-back Stuart Hogg will lead Scotland into Calcutta Cup battle this Saturday as they prepare to face England in the opening round of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations Championship at Twickenham (4:45pm).
The 28-year-old is set to win his 81st Test cap against the 'Auld Enemy' and is one of two Chiefs, alongside club-mate Jonny Gray, who have been named in the match-day 23 by head coach Gregor Townsend.
Saturday’s showdown marks the 150th anniversary year of the first-ever international match which was played between the two sides. To mark the occasion, each Scotland player in the starting XV will have the corresponding name from the 1871 team embroidered onto their shirt to connect with the side which faced England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh 1871.
Scotland welcome back fly-half Finn Russell into the team after the Racing 92 player missed the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup through injury. He will have Bath centre Cameron Redpath outside him at Twickenham, with the 21-year-old making his debut for Scotland.
Among the five changes to the starting line-up from the final 2020 Guinness Six Nations match against Wales in Llanelli in October, a new pair of wings will feature as Sean Maitland and Duhan van der Merwe both start. In the pack, Matt Fagerson is selected at No.8 and George Turner starts at hooker to make his Six Nations competition debut.
Talking ahead of the game, Townsend said: “This most historic of fixtures against England is a great start to the 2021 Guinness Six Nations and a challenge we will fully embrace with the objective of playing to our potential and ultimately lifting our supporters in these difficult times.
“We learned a lot about ourselves and where the game is going during our Autumn campaign, and we aim to build on this base during the next seven weeks. We are set for a huge challenge against England as we will be facing one of the best teams in the world.
“It’s always a pleasure to welcome a new player into our squad and we are looking forward to Cam Redpath winning his first cap on Saturday. We have been really impressed with Cam’s contributions in the time he has been with us in camp. There are a number of experienced players in the backline to help make his transition to Test rugby go as smoothly as possible, and he has the mindset and skillset to thrive at this level.
“The opportunity of competing for the Calcutta Cup against our oldest rivals is something to get Scots around the world excited about.”
SCOTLAND TEAM TO PLAY ENGLAND
15. Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs, capt) – 80 caps
14. Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 50 caps
13. Chris Harris (Gloucester) – 23 caps
12. Cameron Redpath (Bath Rugby) – Uncapped
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh) – 5 caps
10. Finn Russell (Racing 92) – 51 caps
9. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 37 caps
1. Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh) – 11 caps
2. George Turner (Glasgow Warriors) – 12 caps
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 34 caps
4. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) – 17 caps
5. Jonny Gray (Exeter Chiefs) – 61 caps
6. Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh) – 23 caps
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh – 36 caps
8. Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps
16. David Cherry (Edinburgh) – Uncapped
17. Oli Kebble (Glasgow Warriors) – 5 caps
18. WP Nel (Edinburgh) – 40 caps
19. Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 65 caps
20. Gary Graham (Newcastle Falcons) – 2 caps
21. Scott Steele (Harlequins) – 1 cap
22. Jaco van der Walt (Edinburgh) – 1 cap
23. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 26 caps