Townsend not fearing fatigue as Scots face Uruguay

Huw Jones will win his 50th Scotland cap in Montevideo

Gregor Townsend has no fears of player fatigue as Scotland prepare for a 17th, and final, Test of the season against Uruguay in Montevideo on Saturday.

For Scotland, it’s been a rugby marathon that began against Italy at Murrayfield in late July last year and carried on with Tests in St Etienne, Marseille, Nice, Lille, Paris, Cardiff, Rome, Dublin, Ontario, Washington DC and Santiago before Saturday’s finale in the Uruguayan capital.

With so many Tests in 13 cities across 13 months, the Harlem Globetrotters look like home birds in comparison to Townsend’s trekkers.

"Often a change is as good as a rest," said the Scotland head coach, who has made 13 changes to his line-up against Uruguay.

"Going to a place like Uruguay this week and going to new venues, it does energise you. We’ve seen that energy. I don't see any signs of fatigue but we know the players will have earned their break they're going to get after this tour."

Townsend said "we didn’t choose this" tour, an expedition that will conclude long after most of Scotland’s Six Nations rivals hit the beach.

"The summer tour schedules are given to you and you've got to make the most of it," he explained. "Initially, it was two games against Canada and America and we decided to extend that to make it a period where you can work with more players and can bring more players on tour.

"I believe we'll get the benefits. We're already getting the benefits of players playing Test rugby and realising how special that is. They'll be hugely motivated to do it again. They'll have picked up what it means and what they have to do in a Test week. So, it's growing our depth."

Only Kyle Rowe and fly-half Ben Healy survive from last weekend's win over Chile, with Rowe moving from full-back to right wing to accommodate Harry Paterson.

Centre Huw Jones, 30, wins his 50th cap while Scotland's joint-record try scorer Duhan van der Merwe takes up the opposite wing to Rowe.

Centre Stafford McDowall and scrum-half George Horne make up the backs while Rory Sutherland, Ewan Ashman and Javan Sebastian form a new front row.

Alex Williamson partners Scott Cummings in the second row and the back row comprises Luke Crosbie, captain Rory Darge and Matt Fagerson.

Paterson is the least experienced player in the XV, with only two caps, while hooker Patrick Harrison could make his second Scotland appearance off the bench.

Eight of the players who will start against Uruguay played in the first international of the season, against Italy on 29 July 2023.

"It's what the season looks like when it's a World Cup year and it's very similar to the Lions year as well," said Townsend, who oversaw July wins in Canada and the United States before the trip to South America.

"What we've seen from them on this tour is a real freshness and sharpness. They want to finish the season on a high."

One more push in one more Test, then a break and four more Tests in the autumn. With the running total hitting 21 games in 17 months at that point, it is little wonder Townsend feels the need to deepen his player pool.

Scotland XV to face Uruguay

Paterson; Rowe, Jones, McDowall, Van der Merwe; Healy, Horne; Sutherland, Ashman, Sebastian, Williamson, Cummings, Crosbie, Darge (capt), Fagerson.

Replacements: Harrison, Schoeman, Walker, Brown, Ritchie, Dobie, Hastings, Steyn.