Scotland team to play France: Six changes, Jamie Ritchie back as skipper, WP Nel in for banned prop

Jamie Ritchie has recovered from injury and will play his first game of the new season when he leads Scotland against France in the World Cup warm-up match in Saint-Etienne on Saturday night

Jamie Ritchie during a Scotland training session. He returns to the team as captain for the match against France in Saint-Etienne. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Ritchie is one of the six changes in Gregor Townsend’s starting line-up and takes back the captaincy from Finn Russell who skippered the team to an impressive comeback win over the French at Murrayfield last weekend. Russell will be vice-captain for the game in Saint-Etienne, along with Grant Gilchrist. Ritchie, who missed Scotland’s first two warm-up games with a calf injury, replaces Matt Fagerson at blindside flanker. There’s also a change at openside, with Rory Darge returning to the starting XV in place of Hamish Watson. Darge impressed as a replacement against France in Edinburgh, winning a crucial late turnover as the French tried to salvage the game.

There are two changes in the front row, one of them enforced. Zander Fagerson is suspended following his red card last Saturday and is replaced by WP Nel. Javan Sebastian provides tighthead cover on the bench. George Turner is named as hooker, with Ewan Ashman dropping out of the squad and Stuart McInally brought in as replacement.

In the backs, Darcy Graham takes a break after three tries in two games and his place on the right wing is taken by Kyle Steyn. And Ali Price comes in at scrum-half for Ben White who was taken off in the first half at Murrayfield last weekend with an ankle injury.

The game at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is Scotland’s penultimate outing before the World Cup. They will play Georgia at Murrayfield on August 26 then return to France for the tournament itself which kicks off for the Scots with a match against the holders, South Africa, in Marseille on September 10.

Scotland team (v France, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint Etienne, Saturday, 8.05pm BST. TV: live on Prime Video)

15. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh) 45 caps

14. Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors) 11 caps

13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) 37 caps

12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors) 17 caps

11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh) 29 caps

10. Finn Russell (Bath Rugby) – vice-captain – 70 caps

9. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) 62 caps

1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh) 22 caps

2. George Turner (Glasgow Warriors) 36 caps

3. WP Nel (Edinburgh) 54 caps

4. Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors) 74 caps

5. Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh) – vice-captain – 63 caps

6. Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh) – captain – 41 caps

7. Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors) 9 caps

8. Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors) 10 caps

Replacements

16. Stuart McInally (Edinburgh) 48 caps

17. Rory Sutherland (unattached) 24 caps

18. Javan Sebastian (Edinburgh) 4 caps

19. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) 27 caps

20. Sam Skinner (Edinburgh) 26 caps

21. Josh Bayliss (Bath Rugby) 4 caps

22. George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) 21 caps

23. Ollie Smith (Glasgow Warriors) 4 caps