Rugby:Ross Rennie will have the opportunity to stake his claim for a place in Scotland's Rugby World Cup squad after being named in the starting XV for Saturday's warm-up against Ireland at Murrayfield (2.15pm). Decland Kidney won't name his side until Thursday afternoon.
Rennie is set to make his first start at openside flanker at Murrayfield in a team showing five changes in personnel and one positional switch from the side which beat Italy 21-8 in Scotland’s final Six Nations fixture on March 19th.
Johnnie Beattie will start at number eight and Alasdair Strokosch completes an all-changed back row by coming in at blindside flanker, while Jim Hamilton will start at lock.
Graeme Morrison returns at inside centre, with Sean Lamont moving to wing and Simon Danielli dropping out of the 22 altogether. Rory Lawson will captain the team, with Alastair Kellock, Scotland’s skipper during the Six Nations, named on the bench.
Kellock was one of five players withdrawn from club service by Scotland head coach Andy Robinson in preparation for the World Cup. Richie Gray, Ross Ford and Allan Jacobsen have all been named for their first competitive action since the Six Nations, but John Barclay has been left out of the matchday squad.
Two uncapped players have been named on the bench — 21-year-old Edinburgh back-row forward David Denton and 23-year-old Bath full-back Jack Cuthbert.
The Ireland match is the first of two World Cup warm-ups for Scotland, with Italy visiting Edinburgh on August 20th.
Scotland:C Paterson (Edinburgh); N Walker (Ospreys), J Ansbro (London Irish), G Morrison (Glasgow Warriors), S Lamont (Scarlets); R Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), R Lawson (Gloucester); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), G Cross (Edinburgh), J Hamilton (Gloucester), R Gray (Glasgow Warriors), A Strokosch (Gloucester), J Beattie (Glasgow Warriors), R Rennie (Edinburgh). Replacements: D Hall (Glasgow Warriors), A Dickinson (Sale Sharks), A Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), D Denton (Edinburgh), G Laidlaw (Edinburgh), N De Luca (Edinburgh), J Cuthbert (Bath).
