The verdict on Wales team to play Scotland as Owen Watkin returns with a point to prove and why Alex Cuthbert also comes back in

Wayne Pivac could have been forgiven for sending out a search party to see if he could locate certain members of the Wales team that faced Ireland last weekend, with so many going missing in action.

However, Wales’ head coach has resisted the temptation for a radical shake-up of his side for the game with Scotland in Cardiff on Saturday, instead just making three changes to the line-up that took the field in Dublin.

Here are the main headlines from his team selection to face the Scots and the reasons for those changes.

One of the big calls to start.

Dragons openside Taine Basham has been playing so well for Wales it didn’t look as if Pivac would be able to accommodate Jac Morgan, another young player who performs in the same position.

But with the Wales pack losing the physical battle hands down to Ireland in Dublin, the selectors have decided to use the pair alongside each other, with Basham named at No. 6 and Morgan taking the No. 7 shirt.

It’s hard to argue that Morgan doesn’t deserve a chance, with the 22-year-old a consistently strong performer at regional level. Good over the ball with his low centre of gravity, the 5ft 11in, 16st west Walian also rarely misses a tackle and has improved his carrying game.

He also takes responsibility.

Some will worry that Wales might lack back-row balance in picking Basham and Morgan but they players have played in roles other than openside before now. Indeed, Morgan led Wales U20s from No. 8 and Basham won a senior cap in the same role against Fiji in the autumn.

These are adaptable players.

Anyway, other countries, such as Australia with Michael Hooper and David Pocock and England with Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, have played with two opensides before and Wales did it