Three SA-born Scotland internationals have been included in Gregor Townsend’s matchday 23 for Saturday’s Six Nations match away to Wales.

Loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman, with backs Kyle Steyn and Duhan van der Merwe, all start, but Blair Kinghorn has been ruled out due to a knee injury, with Kyle Rowe set to make his first international run-on at fullback in Cardiff.

Toulouse fullback Kinghorn has joined Edinburgh wing Darcy Graham (quad tightness) in being sidelined from the team named Thursday by head coach Townsend for this weekend’s first round of the competition.

Rowe’s only previous cap came away to Argentina in July 2022 when, on as a substitute, he featured for a mere 10 minutes before damaging his ACL, an injury that kept him out of action for most of the following year. The 25-year-old, however, has scored seven tries already for Glasgow this season.

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Flyhalf Finn Russell will lead the team at the Principality Stadium after fellow co-captain Rory Darge failed to recover in time from a knee injury.

Former captain Jamie Ritchie starts in the back row alongside Matt Fagerson and Luke Crosbie.

Ben White returns at scrumhalf after Ali Price took his place in the starting XV for the final two matches of Scotland’s World Cup campaign against Romania and Ireland in France last year.

But there was no place in the 23 for in-form back-row Andy Christie, who has been starring for English Premiership side Saracens so far this season.

Scotland – 15 Kyle Rowe, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe; 10 Finn Russell (c) 9 Ben White, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Jamie Ritchie, 6 Luke Crosbie, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Subs: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Elliot Millar-Mills, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Jack Dempsey, 21 George Horne, 22 Ben Healy, 23 Cameron Redpath.

© Agence France-Presse

Photo: Jeff Pachoud/AFP