Dave Cherry and Jonny Gray to make first Scotland appearances since 2023
Bordeaux lock Gray, 30, has not featured for the national team since the last time Italy visited Murrayfield on Six Nations duty two years ago.
Experienced forwards Dave Cherry and Jonny Gray will make their first Scotland appearances since 2023 after being selected to start Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations opener at home to Italy.
Bordeaux lock Gray, 30, has not featured for the national team since the last time the Azzurri visited Murrayfield on Six Nations duty in 2023 after being derailed by a serious knee injury.
However, he will now add to his 77 caps after his brother Richie vacated the scene when he moved to Japan last year while Scott Cummings was ruled out of the tournament by injury.
Edinburgh hooker Cherry is the most notable inclusion in the XV after being selected ahead of club-mate Ewan Ashman, who appeared to have made the position his own following George Turner’s move to Japan last year.
Cherry, 34, has not played for Scotland since he left the 2023 World Cup squad following a concussion sustained while falling on stairs at the team hotel in Nice on a day off in the wake of the opening pool-stage fixture against South Africa, a match in which he came on as a sub.
Glasgow’s Stafford McDowall replaces injured captain Sione Tuipulotu at inside centre, while former Scotland skipper Jamie Ritchie has been selected to start in the back-row ahead of Jack Dempsey, who is named on the bench after recently recovering from injury.
Ben White has held on to his place at scrum-half despite starting only one of Toulon’s matches since the autumn series, while record try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe has shaken off an ankle problem and will start in the back three alongside Darcy Graham and Blair Kinghorn.
Finn Russell and Rory Darge will co-captain the side in the absence of Tuipulotu.
Ashman is named on the bench, with Glasgow trio George Horne, Tom Jordan and Kyle Rowe the three backs listed among the subs.
