Wales v Scotland: Why Sione Tuipulotu got nod ahead of Sam Johnson and logic behind front-row switcheroo

An opening day win over England which saw the end of a 38-year wait for back-to-back Calcutta Cup victories wasn’t enough to persuade Gregor Townsend not to freshen things up for round two of the Guinness Six Nations.

The Scotland coach has replaced a third of his starting XV for this weekend’s match against Wales and also brought in two new faces on the bench.

Only one change was enforced - the season-ending injury to Jamie Ritchie has opened the door for Sam Skinner to start in the back row - with the rest tactical.

Scotland have not won their opening two games in the championship since 1996, and Cardiff on Saturday would be as good a place as any to rectify that wretched record.

To that end, Townsend has replaced his entire front row with the trio that finished the game strongly against England and brought in the lively Sione Tuipulotu at inside centre at the expense of Sam Johnson who drops out of the squad altogether. Cam Redpath provides centre cover on the bench.

Townsend, who gave Tuipulotu his Scotland debut in the autumn against Tonga, believes the Aussie-born powerhouse can add an injection of attacking flair while also being defensively strong.

“He’s a different player to Sam and Cam,” explained the coach. “He’s a very creative player, we love that about him. Very detailed as well, very loud in attack and defence on the training field.

“He can bring others into play and he’s got his own running game which he has shown for Glasgow this season. All those things will be important but defence is No 1. When you come into our side and our midfield you know you have to defend very well. He’s been doing really well in training.”

His inclusion is bad news for Johnson who has returned to Glasgow Warriors to play in