Scotland recall Zander Fagerson for Wales clash in only change
Fagerson replaces WP Nel at tighthead in an expected switch to the front row after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Coach Gregor Townsend said last week that Fagerson had been training well but was not ready for the clash at Twickenham, which Scotland won 29-23.
The coach has otherwise stuck with a winning combination as Scotland look for a second victory on the trot in this year’s Six Nations.
They have not won their first two matches since 1996, when the tournament was still the Five Nations.
Veteran Nel drops to the bench with Simon Berghan falling out of the matchday squad.
The limited changes mean no place again for British & Irish Lions loose forward Hamish Watson, who has been back playing club rugby since a concussion injury sustained against New Zealand in November.
Townsend kept faith with the new centre pairing of Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu, who recently teamed up at club level too, and played a major role in the win over England.
“We’ve only had a few games together, but the amount we’ve trained at Glasgow and now with Scotland, you get to know a player pretty well when you’re alongside them every day,” Jones said of Tuipulotu.
“I think our skill sets help each other out. I think he’s brilliant. He’s a triple threat when he has the ball - he can run, he can beat defenders, he’s got a good passing game and he’s shown he’s got a good short kicking game with some of his assists this season.
"So it’s great playing outside of him. It really helps me pick my lines and run off him. And we connect well on the other side of the ball as well, in defence,” he added.
Jones said building momentum was key against Wales.
“We come in every year and like to think we’ve got a chance," he said.
"But we haven’t proved that really. We’ve had some big wins but never strung them together consistently. So building momentum is key now.”
Team:
15-Stuart Hogg, 14-Kyle Steyn, 13-Huw Jones, 12-Sione Tuipulotu, 11-Duhan van der Merwe, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ben White, 8-Matt Fagerson, 7-Luke Crosbie, 6-Jamie Ritchie (capt.), 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Richie Gray, 3-Zander Fagerson, 2-George Turner, 1-Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Jamie Bhatti, 18-WP Nel, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Jack Dempsey, 21-George Horne, 22-Blair Kinghorn, 23-Chris Harris.