Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend insists Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn will both have a point to prove after choosing to unleash them in tomorrow’s Six Nations clash with Wales.
Van der Merwe and Kinghorn had been left out of the squad for the opening two matches against Italy and England due to question marks over their form and fitness.
That came as a shock given that the British and Irish Lions duo had been long-established figures in Scotland’s first-choice backline, but they have now been recalled.
Van der Merwe, who is Scotland’s record try scorer, has been restored to the wing in place of the injured Jamie Dobie, with Kinghorn also replacing Tom Jordan at full-back after playing for Toulouse last weekend.
Scotland will start as strong favourites against a Wales team who have shipped over 100 points in their two defeats to England and France.
After picking a team that looks tailor-made to go on the attack, Townsend is confident that Van der Merwe and Kinghorn will be fuelled by extra motivation after being dropped for the first two matches.
Van der Merwe will get a chance to shine against Wales after sitting out the first two matches
Blair Kinghorn also returns to the Scotland side after concerns about his form and fitness
Finn Russell and Sione Tuipulotu will be happy to call on Van der Merwe out wide this weekend
Asked if they have a point to prove, he replied: ‘I hope so. I hope they realise what’s required now they’ve been out of the team and that they’re desperate to not be in this situation again.
‘There’s obviously very good competition around their back three right now. They’re aware of that because they didn’t get selected the first two games. But they’re also aware that they’ll have to play well to be in the mix for the French game.
‘There will be a freshness around both of them coming back in and a huge determination to play well.
‘For those players who have been in our squad for a few years, it [being dropped] will be tough for them to take, but they back the team. They understand the reasons why we had different selections going into our opening two games.
‘Now they have an opportunity to represent their country again. It’s up to them to produce their best rugby and help us win.’
Townsend has made five changes in total to the team which beat England in a pulsating encounter at Murrayfield last weekend.
Gregor Townsend has made five changes to the side that beat England at Murrayfield
Beyond the recalls for Van der Merwe and Kinghorn, Dave Cherry, Max Williamson and Matt Fagerson all come into the team.
Townsend confirmed that he does not expect Jamie Ritchie, Jack Dempsey or Dobie to play any further part in the championship due to the injuries they picked up last weekend.
Dobie has undergone surgery on his shoulder, with Townsend adding: ‘It’s a pretty routine operation, but we don’t know how long it’ll be. Whether that’s three months, four months, we don’t know.
‘Jack looks like he could be a couple of months minimum. It’s a shame for these guys as they had been doing so well for us, Jamie Ritchie as well.’
The Scotland head coach, who has spent this week with his players at a warm-weather training camp in Spain, believes Wales will be fired up to produce a response after suffering two hammerings so far.
‘They’ll be highly motivated, they’ll play with a lot of passion, they’re learning from those defeats,’ he said.
Wales enter this weekend’s contest on a horrible run of form and with morale at an all-time low
‘You get a lot out of a defeat, it definitely motivates you to play well, we had that ourselves after what happened in Italy.
‘I thought there were areas of Wales’ game that really improved from England to France and they played very tough teams.
‘The atmosphere at the Principality is always one of the noisiest, most energetic in the championship. I’m sure they’ll be playing their best rugby against us and that’s a challenge we’re preparing for.
‘You are only as good as your next game, we know that. I’m sure last week a lot of people thought England were clear favourites.
‘The game is not about predictions and previous form, it’s a lot about what you do in those 80 minutes. We’ve got to make sure that we get our best game out there on the field.’
