Cherry, Gray & McDowall start for Scotland against Italy

Dave Cherry is back in the Scotland fold after two years

Six Nations: Scotland v Italy

Venue: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Date: Saturday, 1 February Kick-off: 14:15 GMT

Coverage: Watch live on BBC One, listen on Radio 5 live, Radio Scotland & BBC Sounds and follow live on the BBC Sport website and app.

Edinburgh hooker Dave Cherry and Bordeaux lock Jonny Gray will earn their first caps in two years as Stafford McDowall replaces injured captain Sione Tuipulotu for Scotland's opening Six Nations match against Italy on Saturday.

Fly-half Finn Russell will co-captain the side along with forward Rory Darge.

Cherry will earn his 12th cap, but the 34-year-old will be playing his first Scotland game since the 2023 World Cup.

"He's been playing well for Edinburgh," said Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend.

"We feel Dave's strengths will suit what we want him to do, his experience will be his number one strength, his set-piece accuracy and experience in the scrum and we feel that's the right blend for what we want to achieve."

Gray, 30, will earn his 78th cap having not featured since the last time the Azzurri visited Murrayfield on Six Nations duty.

The Bordeaux lock has not played for six weeks, but Townsend insists Gray is ready for his Test return.

"We had to be sure that he was fully fit," Townsend said. "He did have a tight calf at the end of the week, but he's trained fully this week so we are backing how he came back from his injury for Bordeaux in the 10-11 games he played for them.

"We know he's an experienced international that will be hugely motivated to play once again for Scotland."

McDowall, who captained the side against Portugal in the Nations Series last year, will partner experienced Glasgow Warriors team-mate Huw Jones in the centre.

He has been preferred to Warriors team-mate Tom Jordan, who is on the bench, and Northampton's Rory Hutchinson for the 12 jersey.

"I feel Stafford has earned it," Townsend explained. "He started in our last Six Nations game over in Ireland and played very well.

"Whenever he's been given the opportunity, whether on summer tour or November Tests, he's really stepped up. He'll bring his own strengths to the game."

Ben White starts alongside Russell having held on to his place at scrum-half despite starting only one of Toulon's matches since the autumn series.

Record try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe has shaken off an ankle problem and will start on the wings along with Darcy Graham, while Blair Kinghorn is at full-back.

Matt Fagerson, who won a 50th cap for Scotland against Australia in November, is named at the back of the scrum, with flankers Darge and Jamie Ritchie completing the back row.

At the front of the scrum, loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman lines up alongside Cherry, with Zander Fagerson at tighthead.

Cherry - a surprise starter ahead of benched club-mate Ewan Ashman - has not featured since Scotland said he left the World Cup squad following a concussion sustained while falling on stairs at the team hotel in Nice.

Gray, who has recovered from a serious knee injury, joins Grant Gilchrist in the second row to complete the pack.

'Getting a bit surreal and uncertain' - analysis

Tom English, BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

The selection of Cherry, uncapped since September 2023, is a gobsmacking move from head coach Gregor Townsend.

Cherry fell down the stairs of the Scotland team hotel in Nice during the World Cup, invalided himself out of the tournament and hasn't been seen since in the Test arena. Now he starts ahead of Ewan Ashman.

He's a solid operator, a good line-out thrower, a decent physical presence, but his inclusion is still a shock. He's rarely suggested that he's a frontline Six Nations hooker.

Townsend has gone with a failing Edinburgh team's second and, occasionally, third-choice hooker ahead of Johnny Matthews, winner of the United Rugby Championship with Glasgow.

Matthews, of course, is not in the squad at all. Dylan Richardson, second choice during the autumn, is injured. It's all getting a bit surreal.

Graham makes a long-awaited return to championship rugby having, incredibly, not played a Six Nations game since March 2022. McDowall is at 12, as expected.

Jack Dempsey, undercooked, is on the bench for impact. Gray, also undercooked, starts.

Gray hasn't played in six weeks and has only played three games since the end of October. Where a few weeks ago all was well with this squad, now it's looking uncertain in too many areas.

Scotland line-up

Backs: Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh), Finn Russell (Bath Rugby), Ben White (Toulon).

Forwards: Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), Dave Cherry (Edinburgh), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Jonny Gray (Bordeaux Bègles), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors).

Replacements: Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh), Rory Sutherland (Glasgow Warriors), Will Hurd (Leicester Tigers), Gregor Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Tom Jordan (Glasgow Warriors), Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors).