{"id":235119,"date":"2025-10-31T02:33:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T02:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/235119\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T02:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T02:33:09","slug":"scotland-confirm-replacement-for-finn-russell-with-fly-half-ruled-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/235119\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland confirm replacement for Finn Russell with fly-half ruled out"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Gregor Townsend has named his Scotland squad for this weekend\u2019s Quilter Nations Series opener against the USA \u2014 but the hosts will be without several key stars including\u00a0Finn Russell,\u00a0Blair Kinghorn, and\u00a0Ben White.<\/p>\n<p>With the match sitting outside the international window, Townsend has been forced to shuffle his pack, handing opportunities to several fresh faces ahead of Saturday\u2019s clash at\u00a0Scottish Gas Murrayfield\u00a0(kick-off 5:40pm, live on\u00a0TNT Sports).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/channel\/AbYd2l05pp1bM_Ix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Join RUCK\u2019s Instagram broadcast channel <\/a>and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.<\/p>\n<p>McDowall to captain as Van der Merwe hits 50 caps<\/p>\n<p>Centre\u00a0Stafford McDowall\u00a0will captain Scotland once again, having led the team against the New Zealand M\u0101ori and Portugal last year.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, winger\u00a0Duhan van der Merwe\u00a0will celebrate his\u00a050th international cap, as he continues to build on his record as Scotland\u2019s all-time leading men\u2019s try scorer with\u00a032 tries\u00a0to date.<\/p>\n<p>Van der Merwe is joined in a dangerous back three by\u00a0Darcy Graham\u00a0and\u00a0Kyle Rowe, with McDowall linking up in midfield with\u00a0Ollie Smith.<\/p>\n<p>Hastings replaces Russell at fly-half<\/p>\n<p>With\u00a0Finn Russell unavailable,\u00a0Adam Hastings\u00a0steps into the No.10 jersey, partnering\u00a0Jamie Dobie\u00a0at scrum-half \u2014 the latter also named as\u00a0vice-captain.<\/p>\n<p>Debuts for McConnell and Morris<\/p>\n<p>Townsend has named\u00a0Edinburgh back-row Liam McConnell\u00a0for his\u00a0Scotland debut, starting on the blindside. Hooker\u00a0Harri Morris\u00a0could also make his first appearance from the bench.<\/p>\n<p>In the pack,\u00a0Jack Dempsey\u00a0returns at No.8 for his first Scotland outing since the\u00a0Guinness Six Nations, while\u00a0Dylan Richardson\u00a0takes the openside berth.<br \/>Vice-captain\u00a0Scott Cummings\u00a0partners\u00a0Marshall Sykes\u00a0in the second row, with\u00a0Rory Sutherland,\u00a0Patrick Harrison, and\u00a0D\u2019Arcy Rae\u00a0forming the front row \u2014 Rae earning his\u00a0first start\u00a0for Scotland.<\/p>\n<p>Bradbury back in the mix<\/p>\n<p>On the bench,\u00a0Magnus Bradbury\u00a0is back in a Scotland 23 for the first time since 2022, alongside fellow replacements\u00a0George Horne\u00a0and\u00a0Ross Thompson, who covers stand-off.<\/p>\n<p>Scotland team to face USA<\/p>\n<p>Quilter Nations Series \u2013 Saturday 1 November, 5:40pm KO (Live on TNT Sports)<\/p>\n<p>Starting XV:<br \/>15. Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 14 caps<br \/>14. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013 47<br \/>13. Ollie Smith (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 10<br \/>12. Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 14 \u2013\u00a0Captain<br \/>11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013 49<br \/>10. Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 34<br \/>9. Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 14 \u2013\u00a0Vice-captain<\/p>\n<p>Rory Sutherland (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 43<\/p>\n<p>Patrick Harrison (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013 3<\/p>\n<p>D\u2019Arcy Rae (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013 2<\/p>\n<p>Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 42 \u2013\u00a0Vice-captain<\/p>\n<p>Marshall Sykes (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013 4<\/p>\n<p>Liam McConnell (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013\u00a0Uncapped<\/p>\n<p>Dylan Richardson (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013 6<\/p>\n<p>Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 26<\/p>\n<p>Replacements:<br \/>16. Harri Morris (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013\u00a0Uncapped<br \/>17. Nathan McBeth (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 3<br \/>18. Murphy Walker (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 5<br \/>19. Alex Samuel (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 1<br \/>20. Max Williamson (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 7<br \/>21. Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013 19<br \/>22. George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) \u2013 38<br \/>23. Ross Thompson (Edinburgh Rugby) \u2013 5<\/p>\n<p>EDITORS PICKS:<\/p>\n<p>2025 World XV includes one Scot and one Englishman <\/p>\n<p>South Africa, fresh from winning the Rugby Championship, and New Zealand dominate the line-up, with France and Italy also making strong contributions.<\/p>\n<p>Join the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3s8fWrj\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">RUCK\u2019s WhatsApp community here<\/a>\u00a0and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.<\/p>\n<p>1. Ox Nch\u00e9 (South Africa \u2014 Loose-head Prop)<\/p>\n<p>The Springboks\u2019 scrum weapon. Ox Nch\u00e9\u2019s combination of power, technical precision, and low-body positioning has humbled some of the best tight-heads in the world. He\u2019s been in relentless form, topping performance charts and setting the tone for South Africa\u2019s physical dominance.<\/p>\n<p>2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland \u2014 Hooker)<\/p>\n<p>Ireland\u2019s dynamic hooker was a constant bright spark in 2025\u2014scoring tries, leading the set-piece, and offering a constant carrying threat. His Lions tour was standout, even if it ended in controversy with a short suspension. Sheehan\u2019s blend of skill and aggression makes him arguably the most in-form No. 2 in the world.<\/p>\n<p>3. Wilco Louw (South Africa\u2014 Tight-head Prop)<\/p>\n<p>It was always destined to be a man in green, and we reckon \u2018Quadzilla\u2019 just edged out his teammate Thomas du Toit. Taniela Tupou can be electric on his day, but the key words are\u00a0on his day\u00a0\u2014 he still struggles to deliver more than half a game of consistent impact.<\/p>\n<p>4. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa \u2014 Lock)<\/p>\n<p>A veteran enforcer who still plays with the same bite he had a decade ago. Etzebeth\u2019s line-out presence, defensive steel, and leadership remain vital to every team he represents. A genuine intimidator.<\/p>\n<p>5. Maro Itoje (England \u2014 Lock)<\/p>\n<p>Captain of the victorious Lions in Australia, Itoje led with both physicality and composure. His tour performances were tireless\u2014dominating the air, disrupting opposition ball, and setting the emotional tone for the squad.<\/p>\n<p>6. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland \u2014 Lock\/Back-Row)<\/p>\n<p>A turnover machine and line-out threat, Beirne\u2019s versatility makes him a coach\u2019s dream. Whether at blindside or in the second row, he consistently delivers work rate, breakdown steals, and intelligent support play.<\/p>\n<p>7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa \u2014 Lock\/Back-Row)<\/p>\n<p>Known for his tireless tackling and unmatched work ethic, du Toit thrives in the big moments. His ability to shift between lock and flanker adds valuable flexibility to any pack.<\/p>\n<p>8. Ardie Savea (New Zealand \u2014 No. 8)<\/p>\n<p>A one-man highlight reel, Savea mixes explosive ball-carrying with clever link play and crucial turnovers. His leadership and athleticism make him indispensable for the All Blacks.<\/p>\n<p>CONTINUES ON PAGE 2<\/p>\n<p>Like this:<\/p>\n<p>Like Loading&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"sd-link-color\"\/>\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gregor Townsend has named his Scotland squad for this weekend\u2019s Quilter Nations Series opener against the USA \u2014&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235120,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-235119","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}