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Duncan Weir will start in the no10 shirt for Scotland against the Springboks on Saturday. Finn Russell misses out, still recovering from an ankle injury suffered against the USA on Sunday, one of a handful of first choice players left out of the run-on side.
Gordon Reid and Fraser Brown are given the nod in the front row, presumably to give Alasdair Dickinson and Ross Ford time to rest, while Jonny Gray returns aside his brother Richie, winning his 50th cap, in the second row. WP Nel and Josh Strauss both start against their country of birth, with Strauss lining up in the no6 jersey and David Denton running out at no8.
Fresh face Blair Cowan is parachuted straight into the openside flank position after joining the squad as a replacement for Grant Gilchrist during the week. John Hardie remains sidelined as he completes his return-to-play protocol from concussion.
Weir is not the only major change in the backline, with loose forward convert Richie Vernon tapped to start in the midfield in place of Mark Bennett. Vernon’s relative inexperience in the position is offset somewhat by his physical presence, something also found in winger Tim Visser, who has beaten out Sean’s Maitland and Lamont for the wing spot opposite in-form Tommy Seymour.
Scotland have won both of their Pool B matches thus far and need only win one between this game and the next against Samoa to qualify for the quarter-finals. The task will be difficult against South Africa, a team they have beaten only twice since 1969, the last a narrow 21-17 victory at Murrayfield in 2010.
SCOTLAND
1 Gordon Reid 2 Fraser Brown 3 WP Nel 4 Richie Gray 5 Jonny Gray 6 Josh Strauss 7 Blair Cowan 8 David Denton 9 Greig Laidlaw (capt.) 10 Duncan Weir 11 Tim Visser 12 Matt Scott 13 Richie Vernon 14 Tommy Seymour 15 Stuart Hogg
16 Ross Ford 17 Alasdair Dickinson 18 Jon Welsh 19 Tim Swinson 20 Ryan Wilson 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne 22 Peter Horne 23 Sean Lamont
