Pierre Schoeman and Scott Cummings will both reach 50 Scotland caps after Gregor Townsend named them in the starting pack for Saturday’s Nations Championship opener against Argentina in Cordoba.
The milestone double gives Scotland’s first game in the new competition a clear front-five thread. Scottish Rugby confirmed Schoeman starts at loosehead, with Ewan Ashman and Elliot Millar Mills completing the front row, while Cummings partners Jonny Gray in the second row.
Townsend leans on Test weight
Sione Tuipulotu captains the side from inside centre, with Tom Jordan at fly-half and Ben White at scrum-half. Kyle Rowe, Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie form the back three, while Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge and Matt Fagerson continue as an experienced back-row unit.
The bench carries its own selection point. Gregor Hiddleston is in line for a Scotland debut, while Zander Fagerson, Rory Sutherland, Alex Samuel, Gregor Brown, George Horne, Fergus Burke and Darcy Graham complete the replacements.
Edinburgh Rugby noted Schoeman’s first cap came against Tonga in 2021. His half-century now arrives in a sharper arena: an away meeting with Los Pumas, and a format where every July result feeds into November’s final table.
For Scotland, the selection says plenty. This is not a soft launch. Townsend has picked experience at set-piece, leadership in midfield and enough bench pace to change the last quarter.
Read more: Scotland’s hooker gamble gives Townsend’s Nations Championship squad a sharper edge.
