Scotland A selections explained - and why some players were disappointed to be included

Mosese Tuipulotu will be given his first outing in Scotland colours on Saturday evening after being selected for the A international against Chile at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh.

Tuipulotu, younger brother of Scotland captain Sione, is one of three uncapped players in the starting XV alongside his Edinburgh team-mate Tom Dodd and Glasgow Warriors hooker Gregor Hiddleston.

The centre was named in Gregor Townsend’s senior squad for the Autumn Nations Series but will make his debut in dark blue for the revived A team which is playing its first home fixture in over 10 years.

Tuipulotu, 23, joined Edinburgh in the summer from the New South Wales Waratahs on a two-year deal, and has played five times for the capital side this season.

Mosese Tuipulotu during a Scotland training session at Oriam. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SRU

“He’s settled in quick at Edinburgh,” said Pete Horne, who is head coach of the A team. “He’s had a couple of brilliant games. That Cardiff game at home especially was one that we were all down watching and he really played well. He thrived in that 12 jersey.

“He’s obviously got a really good role model in his brother and having him here is good. I've been really impressed with Mosese. He's grown, and every week he's getting better as he gets used to the way that we're playing. He's taken to it like a duck to water. So although he's probably potentially disappointed that he's not had a crack of the whip yet, that's what these games are brilliant for.

“Players like Mosese are going to get an opportunity to show that they're ready to make the step up from club rugby to international against a good international team.”

Horne expects Chile to play their Test team with a line-up on similar lines to the side that faced Scotland in Santiago in July in what was a full international. Scotland won 52-11 that day but the South American team made it hard for the tourists in the first half. Ewan Johnson, Ben Healy, Arron Reed, Jamie Dobie, Stafford McDowall and Matt Currie were all involved and have been selected again for the A match.

There are also starts for Edinburgh back-row pair Freddy Douglas and Ben Muncaster who both made their full Scotland debuts in the 59-21 win over Portugal last Saturday. They are joined in the pack by club-mates D’Arcy Rae, Marshall Sykes and Dodd.

Scotland's Arron Reed in action during win over Portugal at Murrayfield. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Reed, the Sale Sharks winger who scored two tries against Portugal, has been picked at full-back this weekend, a new position for him. Horne believes he can thrive in the role, particularly on the counter-attack where his pace could be a real asset.

“And I think something that people probably don't even realise is he's got a really nice left foot,” said the coach. “So it'll be a great chance for him to show that and we can use him to exit. He can pop up at second receiver and be looking to put kicks in and it should just give him a little chance to show off more of his skillset. He's excited about the challenge.”

Currie, the Edinburgh centre, is also picked out of position on the wing but it is a role he had some experience of playing in last season.

The Chile match takes place the night before the full Scotland team takes on Australia in the final autumn Test at Murrayfield and Horne admitted some of the more experienced players in his team were disappointed initially to be told they wouldn’t be involved with the top side.

Stafford McDowall will captain the Scotland A side against Chile on Saturday. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Stafford McDowall, who captained Scotland against Portugal, now steps down to skipper the A team and is joined by the likes of Reed, Dobie, Currie and Jamie Bhatti who all also featured at the weekend.

“There'd be something wrong if they weren't disappointed they're not playing on the Sunday [against Australia],” said Horne. “All of them were obviously gutted initially, but by the time they came in first thing this morning, you would have no idea. They were excited about the challenge. They're looking forward to leading. They know that the lift that they give all the other guys in the team and in the squad is huge.

“It's also another opportunity to play against a Test team. It's not like it's an A game against Chile's second team. They're bringing their Test team. They obviously caused us a lot of trouble in the summer. It'll be a really physical game, especially up front.”

While the Scotland starting XV contains 12 full internationals, the bench has a very callow look about it and includes a handful of players who have yet to play a senior competitive game for their clubs. Failing into that category are Liam McConnell, the Scotland Under-20 captain, Jare Oguntibeju, Glasgow’s promising second-row forward, and Jack Brown, the Edinburgh full-back.

Joining them among the replacements are Edinburgh front-row pair Harri Morris and Mikey Jones and Glasgow prop Fin Richardson and his team-mate, the scrum-half Ben Afshar. Stand-off Healy provides the experience on the bench as he looks to rediscover his form after a tricky start to the season which saw him dropped by Edinburgh.

“He's had a really frustrating start to the season,” said Horne, “so it's an opportunity to get back on the horse and get back competing.”

Scotland A team (v Chile, Hive Stadium, Saturday 6pm)

15. Arron Reed (Sale Sharks)

14. Matt Currie (Edinburgh)

13. Mosese Tuipulotu (Edinburgh)

12. Stafford McDowall CAPTAIN (Glasgow Warriors)

11. Ross McCann (Edinburgh)

10. Ross Thompson (Edinburgh)

9. Jamie Dobie VICE-CAPTAIN (Glasgow Warriors)

1. Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors)

2. Gregor Hiddleston (Glasgow Warriors)

3. D’Arcy Rae (Edinburgh)

4. Marshall Sykes (Edinburgh)

5. Ewan Johnson (Oyannax)

6. Tom Dodd VICE-CAPTAIN (Edinburgh)

7. Freddy Douglas (Edinburgh)

8. Ben Muncaster (Edinburgh)

Replacements

16. Harri Morris (Edinburgh)

17. Mikey Jones (Edinburgh)

18. Fin Richardson (Glasgow Warriors)

19. Jare Oguntibeju (Glasgow Warriors)

20. Liam McConnell (Edinburgh)

21. Ben Afshar (Glasgow Warriors)

22. Ben Healy (Edinburgh)

23. Jack Brown (Edinburgh)