SM
Barcelona vs. Valencia: 29 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Six Nations | Group Stage
Feb 22, 2020 at 2.15pm UK
 
Italy
0-17
Scotland
 
FT
Hogg (23'), Harris (47'), Hastings (79')

McInally, Toolis and Harris named in Scotland squad to face Italy

:Headline: McInally, Toolis and Harris named in Scotland squad to face Italy: ID:390173: from db_amp
Coach Gregor Townsend has been impressed with the trio.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has made three changes to his starting XV for Saturday's Guinness Six Nations trip to Italy.

Edinburgh forwards Stuart McInally and Ben Toolis and Gloucester centre Chris Harris have been promoted from the bench for their first start of the 2020 campaign in Rome.

Hooker McInally swaps places with Glasgow Warriors' Fraser Brown, who moves to the bench, while second row Toolis comes in for the injured Jonny Gray.

Harris has been selected ahead of Huw Jones, who drops out of the 23-man squad. Sale wing Byron McGuigan takes Harris' place on the bench.

Speaking about the changes, Townsend said: "We believe Chris and Stuart deserve this opportunity. They were very close to the starting 15 when we entered this campaign. We think this is the right time for them to come in.

"Chris has been excellent for Gloucester this season and has continued to make improvements since the summer. He works very hard on both sides of the ball, which will be important this week.

"Stuart has shown over the past few weeks he's back to full fitness and is raring to go and Ben gets an opportunity to start following Jonny's injury against England.

"Second row is a position (where) we have a lot of competition with a number of very good players available for selection. We're looking forward to seeing how he combines again with Scott (Cummings) after a successful outing together against Russia in the World Cup."

“We are well aware of the threats throughout their team and how their attacking game can cause problems for any defence.”
- Gregor Townsend on Italy

Scotland and Italy have both yet to win a match in this season's Six Nations, Scotland losing to Ireland and England and Italy suffering away defeats to Wales and France.

"Italy are always a very tough opponent, especially in Rome, where we know they'll look to play with a huge amount of energy," Townsend said.

"It's a different Italy team to the one we've played in the past. In their opening two games of the Championship they have played with real ambition and width.

"They've also selected athletic ball players who suit this strategy and are comfortable playing at a high tempo. We are well aware of the threats throughout their team and how their attacking game can cause problems for any defence."

amp_article__390173 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-02-19 15:32:59:
html db last update - 2021-03-10 15:43:23 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Chris Harris

Click here for more stories about Scotland

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .