Scotland make four changes to beleaguered pack ahead of England test

Feb 12 : Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has made four change to his pack for the Six Nations clash at home to England on Saturday, after they struggled at the set-piece in their dismal opening round loss to Italy last weekend.

The Italians pushed Scotland back in the scrum and stole several of their line-outs, which contributed to the 18-15 defeat in Rome that has put Townsend’s side on the back foot ahead of welcoming the "old enemy" to Murrayfield.

Two of the changes are in the front row as hooker George Turner and prop Nathan McBeth come into the starting XV, while lock Gregor Brown and flanker Jamie Ritchie have also been added.

Zander Fagerson is the prop on the tight-head side and Scott Cummings partners Brown in the second row.

Rory Darge is also at flanker and Jack Dempsey at number eight to complete the starting forwards.

The backline remains unchanged, with flyhalf Finn Russell alongside scumhalf Ben White, and captain Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones the midfield pairing.

Jamie Dobie and Kyle Steyn are on the wing with Tom Jordan at fullback.

There is still no place for rampaging wing Duhan van der Merwe in the match-day 23, despite being a significant thorn in the side of Steve Borthwick’s team in the past.

Scotland have won four of their last five meetings with England, but lost 16-15 when the teams met at Twickenham in last year’s championship.

England’s last win at Murrayfield was in 2020. They started their 2026 championship with a 48-7 home win over Wales.

Scotland team:

15-Tom Jordan, 14-Kyle Steyn, 13-Huw Jones, 12-Sione Tuipulotu (captain), 11-Jamie Dobie, 10-Finn Russell (vice-captain), 9-Ben White, 8-Jack Dempsey, 7-Rory Darge (vice-captain), 6-Jamie Ritchie, 5-Scott Cummings, 4-Gregor Brown, 3-Zander