New Zealand-born Sean Maitland will make his Scotland debut against England on Saturday.
The 24-year-old wing (below) qualifies for Scotland through his grandparents and he will be joined in the starting line-up at Twickenham by Glasgow team-mate and hooker Dougie Hall.
Interim head coach Scott Johnson has made six changes to the side that ended the year with a 21-15 defeat to Tonga in November — a result that prompted Andy Robinson’s resignation — and has also made one positional change.
No8 Johnnie Beattie is recalled, with Ruaridh Jackson returning at stand-off. Sean Lamont moves from wing to centre and Greig Laidlaw will start at scrum-half for the first time at international level.
Ryan Grant is restored at loose-head prop after injury while Jim Hamilton is recalled to partner Richie Gray in the second row.
Johnson said: “Sean Maitland is very proud to be pulling on the Scotland jersey for the first time.
“His family will be rapt because they raised him in New Zealand always reminding him of his Scottish heritage, getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch games on the TV.
“He’s shown he can play footy with the best of them and the impact he’s made since arriving at Glasgow in the autumn has underlined what we’d seen of him playing in Super Rugby.”
Meanwhile, Andy Farrell today dimissed claims by former Lions and Scotland coach Jim Telfer that England players are “arrogant, pretentious and condescending”.
England backs coach Farrell said: “He is Scottish and very passionate and is trying to give his lads some self-belief. A few of the lads who have been mentioned are having the mick taken out of them today.”
Scotland (v England): S Hogg, S Maitland, S Lamont, M Scott, T Visser, R Jackson, G Laidlaw; R Grant, D Hall, E Murray, R Gray, J Hamilton, A Strokosch, K Brown, J Beattie. Reps: R Ford, M Low, G Cross, A Kellock, D Denton, H Pyrgos, D Weir, M Evans
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