By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 4 hours ago, Updated now
Kyle Steyn (right) will start on the Scottish wing on Sunday. RUSSELL CHEYNE / REUTERS
The Chardon XV is playing very big this Sunday against the Ikale Tahi of Tonga.
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend made four changes to his starting XV to face Tonga on Sunday in Nice compared to the one defeated by South Africa (18-3) in their first match of the 2023 World Cup, according to the composition revealed on Friday. Kyle Steyn, who scored two tries against France last month in a warm-up match, will start on the right wing in place of Darcy Graham.
Tonga will inevitably bring back good memories for the player of South African origin, who scored four tries in the fall of 2021 against the Pacific nation for his first selection with the XV du Chardon, victorious 60-14 that day .
Another change in the back lines: the tenure of Chris Harris as second center, which relegates one of the usual spearheads of the Scottish attack, Huw Jones, to the bench. “Chris (Harris) and Kyle (Steyn) are two experienced and physical players.a expliqué Townsend. “We wanted to create competition, but also take advantage of the impact of Darcy (Graham) and Huw (Jones) at the end of the match.”
The coach also made two adjustments up front, preferring Scott Cummings to Grant Gilchrist in the second row and Rory Sutherland to Pierre Schoeman as the left prop.
“They are in good shape and have the opportunity to earn their place for the other group matches to come”he justified while his team will then face Romania and Ireland in Group B.
The Scots, who have not played for two weeks, lost their hooker David Cherry during this period, the victim of a fall down the stairs. He was replaced in the squad by Stuart McInally for the rest of the World Cup, but it is Ewan Ashman, returning from a concussion suffered in training, who will cover the position this weekend from the bench.
The hinge will once again be made up of the future Toulon scrum half, Ben White, and the former Racing 92 fly-half, Finn Russell.
Scotland line-up against Tonga:
Kinghorn – Steyn, Harris, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe – (o) Russell, (m) White – Darge, Dempsey, Ritchie (cap.) – Cummings, Gray – Z. Fagerson, Turner, Sutherland
Ashman, Schoeman, Nel, Skinner, M. Fagerson, Horne, Jones, Graham
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