Scotland U20 have turned to Matthew Fick at scrum-half for Tuesday’s World Rugby Junior Championship pool closer against Japan, with Fergus Pringle making three changes from the side beaten by New Zealand.
Scottish Rugby confirmed Fick replaces Asa Stewart Harris, who drops to the bench, while Campbell Waugh comes into midfield for Alex Bryden. Up front, Christian Lindsay moves from the back row into the second row and Sam Byrd enters the side in place of Alfie Blackett.
The match takes place at AIA Arena in Kutaisi on Tuesday 7 July, with kick-off listed by Scottish Rugby at 12.30pm BST. It carries more than ranking-round housekeeping: World Rugby’s Pool B table has Scotland third on six points, behind New Zealand and Italy, after two rounds.
Scotland Men U20 have been drawn in Pool B alongside New Zealand, Italy and Japan for the newly named and expanded 2026 World Rugby Junior World Championship.
Fick starts as Pringle protects continuity
Pringle has kept his attacking spine largely intact. Daniel Kelly, a try-scorer in both Scotland games so far, remains on the wing, while Harvey Preston also starts after crossing against New Zealand. Joe Roberts, who scored twice in that 36-26 defeat, captains the side from hooker.
Fick’s promotion is the sharpest selection call. Scottish Rugby noted the Edinburgh Rugby Academy scrum-half made his first Scotland U20 appearance at this tournament after arriving from South Africa and qualifies through an Inverness-born grandfather.
Japan arrive bottom of the pool after defeats to Italy and New Zealand, but Scotland cannot treat this as a soft finish. Bonus-point maths still matters, and Pringle’s side need control as much as pace if they are to convert a promising campaign into a stronger classification route.
For more on Scotland’s wider momentum, read our latest piece on Scotland’s rankings jump after the Argentina win.
