Scotland team to play England: Blair Kinghorn among returning trio as three France starters drop out of squad

Gregor Townsend names his starting XV for Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield on Saturday

Blair Kinghorn (left) and Kyle Steyn return to the Scotland starting XV to face England at Murrayfield on Saturday. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

A fit-again Blair Kinghorn has come straight back into the Scotland team for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield and there are also returns for Kyle Steyn and Jamie Ritchie.

Kinghorn, 27, missed the opening two rounds of the Six Nations with a knee ligament strain sustained while playing for Toulouse. He has now recovered and slots in at full-back, taking the place of Harry Paterson who had such an impressive international debut in the narrow defeat by France a fortnight ago.

Steyn missed the French game after his wife went into labour but is back in the starting XV to face England. His selection means there is no place in the side for Kyle Rowe who played at full-back in Scotland’s Six Nations opener against Wales then moved to the wing for the France match. Rowe acquitted himself very well on both occasions and can consider himself unlucky to drop out. Neither he nor Paterson are on the bench.

The third change sees Ritchie come back in the team, selected at blindside flanker in place of Matt Fagerson who injured his shoulder against France and had to come off before half-time. Ritchie was stood down as Scotland captain before the championship began but started against Wales before dropping out of the 23 for the French match.

The team is otherwise unchanged as Scotland look for a fourth successive win over England for the first time in the professional era. The last time they won four in a row was between 1970 and 1972. England, on eight points, are three ahead of Scotland in the Six Nations table after narrow wins over Italy and Wales. Scotland beat Wales in Cardiff before losing at home to France.

Scotland team: 15. B Kinghorn; 14. K Steyn, 13 H Jones, 12. S Tuipulotu, 11. D van der Merwe; 10. F Russell (co-capt), 9. B White; 1. P Schoeman, 2. G Turner, 3. Z Fagerson, 4. G Gilchrist, 5. S Cummings, 6. J Ritchie , 7. R Darge (co-capt), 8. J Dempsey.