Scotland will return to Nations Championship action this weekend as the mighty All Blacks visit Murrayfield in the first of four November Test matches for the men’s national team.
The current group of players once again have a shot at history as they bid to becomes the first ever Scotland side to beat New Zealand. As ever, it means there are some big decisions for head coach Gregor Townsend to make when he names his 23-man squad for the contest.
Here is The Scotsman’s predicted starting XV and replacements for the fixture and where we think some of the potentially match defining selections could be made:
13. Rory Hutchinson
Another huge call for Townsend to make is at outside centre. Huw Jones brings the try scoring threat with ball in hand while Stafford McDowall's partnership with Tuipulotu always seems to work well but Hutchinson was so impressive during the Summer Test matches against Argentina and South Africa that he will likely be given a well deserved crack against the All Blacks | SNS Group
14. Jamie Dobie
Another who is so useful due to his versatility that it's easy to overlook just how good he has been playing as a winger for Glasgow this season. He's keeping some big names out of the Scotland team with his form at the minute. | SNS Group
15. Blair Kinghorn
Quite possibly the biggest call that Townsend will have to make is at full-back. Similarly to Hutchinson at 13, Kyle Rowe was excellent at full-back in the summer with Kinghorn not in the squad. This one could go either way but the Toulouse man has the experience and defensive edge that makes him the more pragmatic choice | SNS Group
16. Gregor Hiddleston
Has a good chance of starting, as mentioned, but will certainly take up a place on the bench if he doesn't | SNS Group