
Glasgow Warriors flanker Rory Darge will captain Scotland for the primary time as they tackle Italy at Murrayfield on Saturday.
The 23-year-old solely earned the primary of his seven caps final 12 months – towards Wales within the Six Nations.
However he beforehand led the Scottish workforce in the course of the Below-20 Six Nations three years in the past.
Warriors centre Stafford McDowall and Leicester Tigers second row Cameron Henderson will make their debuts.
Head coach Gregor Townsend has gone for an experimental and inexperienced line-up in Scotland’s first sport since ending the Six Nations with a 26-14 win over the identical opponents in Edinburgh in March.
Captain that day Jamie Ritchie, Darge’s fellow flanker, is amongst common starters who is not going to function within the first of a collection of video games – additionally residence and away towards France and at residence to Georgia – as Scotland heat up for September’s World Cup finals.
In all, Townsend makes 11 adjustments to the facet that final confronted the Italians, with solely full-back Ollie Smith, two different Glasgow gamers – wing Kyle Steyn and ahead George Turner – plus Edinburgh lock Sam Skinner, retaining their locations.
Debutants McDowall and Henderson, who was born in Hong Kong however qualifies to play for Scotland by means of his Scottish dad, each beforehand featured for nationwide age-grade groups.
Scotland workforce
Ollie Smith (Glasgow Warriors), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Gloucester), Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors), Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors), Ben Healy (Edinburgh), Ali Value (Glasgow Warriors); Rory Sutherland (unattached), George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Murphy Walker (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Skinner (Edinburgh), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Luke Crosbie (Edinburgh), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors).
Replacements: Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors), Javan Sebastian (Edinburgh), Cameron Henderson (Leicester Tigers), Josh Bayliss (Bathtub), Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Cameron Redpath (Bathtub).