Vern Cotter has kept with the starting XV that beat Argentina but shaken up his replacements bench for the viagogo Autumn Test with much-changed New Zealand on Saturday.
Scotland’s New Zealander head coach will send out the same team that impressively built a 34-10 lead over the Pumas but has made four changes to the bench that saw that margin whittled to just 10 points in the end.
Chris Cusiter and Johnnie Beattie, both of whom were not considered for duty last week because of lack of playing time, are back in the fold after playing last weekend for their clubs. Tim Swinson comes in for Jim Hamilton while Glasgow hooker Fraser Brown, who won his only cap against South Africa in 2013, comes in for the experienced Scott Lawson.
The All Blacks meanwhile have made wholesale changes, keeping only skipper Richie McCaw and Ben Smith from the team that defeated England 24-21 at Twickenham last week.
McCaw switches sides to blindside flanker and Dan Carter, the veteran fly-half, returns to the starting team but it’s otherwise pretty much a second choice New Zealand side in keeping with their recent visits to BT Murrayfield. Carter, who last started a game for New Zealand a year ago, will win his 136th cap on Saturday.
Said Cotter: “Last weekend we had the ball and looked dangerous, and showed great character to stick with our attacking philosophy.
“I really enjoyed watching the players work for each other against Argentina. They picked each other up time and again and encouraged each other to keep working for the collective cause.
“We showed last week that we’re developing an attack that can cause opposition teams problems. But the All Blacks are the world’s best at exposing errors so we’ll have to be absolutely clinical in our decision making.”
Scotland team: S Hogg; S Maitland, M Bennett, A Dunbar, T Seymour; F Russell, G Laidlaw (capt); A Dickinson, R Ford, E Murray; J Gray, R Gray; R Harley, B Cowan, A Ashe.
Replacements: F Brown, G Reid, G Cross, T Swinson, J Beattie, C Cusiter, D Weir, S Lamont.