SCOTLAND LOCK JONNY Gray will make his first Test appearance for nearly two years after being named in the starting team for Saturdayโs Six Nations opener at home to Italy.
The 30-year-old missed the 2023 World Cup with a knee injury and declined a call-up for the November international series after returning to action at the start of this season with French club Bordeaux-Begles.
Edinburgh hooker Dave Cherry is also in line for his first Test since the World Cup after coach Gregor Townsend surprisingly selected him ahead of the benched Ewan Ashman.
Stafford McDowall replaces injured captain Sione Tuipulotu at inside centre, while record try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe has been passed fit following an ankle problem.
Your Scotland team to kick off @SixNationsRugby against Italy at Scottish Gas Murrayfield ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ
โ Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) January 30, 2025
Read more โก๏ธ https://t.co/KPry9XuMhM pic.twitter.com/d32ZnrMgf1
Scotland playmaker Finn Russell and flanker Rory Darge are the co-captains of the team.
Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada named Perpignanโs Tommaso Allan at full-back, allowing Toulouse flier Ange Capuozzo to move to the wing.
Italyโs record points-scorer in the Six Nations, Allan stepped away from the Italy side after their narrow 27-24 defeat by England in last seasonโs tournament, citing his mental and physical well-being.
Allan, whose uncle John Allan played nine Tests for Scotland in the 1990s, did not return until November against Argentina, when he came on as a substitute for the injured Capuozzo.
Injured himself, he then had to sit out the tests against Georgia and New Zealand.
He has featured in 12 matches for Perpignan this season and will be bidding to add to his Italian record 165 points in the Six Nations when he runs out at Murrayfield.
Scotland (15-1):
Blair Kinghorn; Darcy Graham, Huw Jones, Stafford McDowall, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell (co-capt), Ben White; Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge (co-capt), Jamie Ritchie; Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray; Zander Fageron, Dave Cherry, Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Will Hurd, Gregor Brown, Jack Dempsey, George Horne, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe
Italy (15-1)
Tommaso Allan; Ange Capuozzo, Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Monty Ioane; Paolo Garbisi, Martin Page-Relo; Michele Lamaro (capt), Lorenzo Cannone, Sebastian Negri; Federico Ruzza, Dino Lamb; Simone Ferrari, Giacomo Nicotera, Danilo Fischetti
Replacements: Gianmarco Lucchesi, Luca Rizzoli, Marco Riccioni, Niccolo Cannone, Manuel Zuliani, Ross Vintcent, Alessandro Garbisi, Simone Gesi
232 days since the chiefs last won a game in the premiership, now thatโs a champions cup side right there!!
@Stuart: Less than 6 hours Stuart.
@Stuart: pipe down chief. Honestly.
@Stuart: Chiefs have fallen drastically from the HCup winning side, they were everyones favourite Prem side being one of the few that didnt overspend, and built slowly from the championship to premiership and HCup champs, but after covid they have made drastic cuts as they didnโt have the sugar daddy like most Prem sides and stick rigidly within what they can afford and are one of the few that dont have massive debt and lost most of that squad and are rebuilding.even the Top 14 with its massive wealth, most owners have admited to overspending beyond what teams can really afford and say its not sustainable.