Vern Cotter has swept a new broom through the Scotland team for Saturday’s opening viagogo Autumn Test against Argentina by picking a full 15 Glasgow Warriors players in the 23 and leaning towards youth.
The new head coach’s first game in charge at BT Murrayfield will see just one new cap in centre Mark Bennett, but the 21-year-old is one of four players around that age brought in by Cotter for the visit of the Pumas.
Another 21-year-old, Adam Ashe, is preferred at No 8 to Johnnie Beattie to win his second cap, while Finn Russell (22) is given the key fly-half role, but the youngest of all is 20-year-old Jonny Gray, who will pack down in the second row with his elder brother Richie for the first time in any form of rugby.
Cotter has picked an entire team of Warriors, including the entire starting back division, four forwards in Ashe, Gray, Rob Hraley and Euan Murray, and a further five on the bench.
“We’ve been studying these players since the start of the season and we have selected a group we believe can do the job for us on Saturday,” said Cotter.
“We have looked for people who have the abilityto control games, take initiative, can pick up the ball and run with it, who like physical confrontation and can keep the ball alive.
“These are the things we’ve prioritised in selection and we’re looking forward to getting out there and putting a performance in from of our home crowd.”
Cotter has kept with experience for one key area perceived as the Pumas’ strength, picking a veteran front row with 173 caps between them.
However only Richie Gray and skipper Greig Laidlaw of the remainder of the team have as much as 30 caps. Ashe has just one – the rout against South Africa in the last test at Port Elizabeth in June – Jonny Gray will be making only his second start and winning his fifth cap in all while Russell has just two starts having made his debut in the summer.
Only three exiles have been picked in the starting team, Laidlaw, Richie Gray and London Irish openside Blair Cowan, who will be winning his fourth cap.
Scotland team: Stuart Hogg; Sean Maitland, Mark Bennett, Alex Dunbar, Tommy Seymour; Finn Russell (all Glasgow Warriors), Grieg Laidlaw (Gloucester, capt); Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford (both Edinburgh), Euan Murray (Glasgow Warriors); Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Castres); Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Cowan (London Irish), Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors).
Replacements: Scott Lawson (Newcastle), Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors), G Cross (London Irish), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan), Henry Pyrgos, Duncan Weir, Sean Lamont (all Glasgow Warriors)