Scotland All Blacks: Russell’s 100th cap and a first-ever win on the line at Murrayfield

The Scotland All Blacks fixture has produced 33 Tests and no Scottish wins. On Saturday at Murrayfield (2.10pm kick-off), Gregor Townsend’s side try to change that in a 34th meeting, and they will do it with their two most influential players back in the starting XV.

Fly-half Finn Russell and captain Sione Tuipulotu both start after missing July’s 33-17 win over Fiji. Russell’s selection is also a milestone. The Independent reports he will win his 100th international cap, made up of 96 appearances for Scotland and four Tests for the British and Irish Lions. Huw Jones returns alongside Tuipulotu in midfield, restoring the Lions centre pairing that Scottish Rugby’s own social media has nicknamed “Huwipulotu”.

Scotland All Blacks: how the teams line up

Townsend has made sweeping changes from the Fiji game. Rory Sutherland is the only forward to keep his starting place, and he gets the nod at loosehead ahead of Pierre Schoeman despite making just one appearance for Glasgow this season because of a calf injury. Ewan Ashman, Zander Fagerson, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey make up the rest of the pack.

Behind the scrum, Kyle Rowe is preferred to Blair Kinghorn at full-back, and Kinghorn sits on the bench. Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie are on the wings, with Ben White at scrum-half. Record try-scorer Darcy Graham and wing Duhan van der Merwe have been left out.

New Zealand made just two changes to the side that beat Australia 43-21 in Sydney on October 17. Ethan de Groot replaces George Bower at loosehead, and Jordie Barrett returns from injury in place of Timoci Tavatavanawai. Both of those players are on the bench. Codie Taylor captains the side, and he and Beauden Barrett are both centurions.

A familiar face in the opposition camp

The occasion has plenty of Scottish links on the other side. All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie is a former Glasgow Warriors boss, a job Townsend later took over from him. Rennie’s coaching staff also includes former Scotland scrum-half Mike Blair, whom he praised for his decision-making and innovative coaching.

Rennie also said the two sides “play a pretty similar type of game” and noted that the last four meetings have been tight. His team edged last year’s contest 25-17. “We’re well aware of the quality of the side and the performance required to beat them,” he said.

Townsend, though, is wary of a changed opponent. He described a New Zealand side “playing much more ambitious rugby” that is “informed” and “cohesive” after a busy summer of Tests. He also pointed out that this is Scotland’s first match of the season, which makes it a tougher ask. “We’re going to have to find ways to win, find ways to stay in the fight because they’ll have a lot of possession too,” he said.

The match opens a heavy month at Murrayfield. Australia visit on November 15 and Japan on November 21, and BBC Sport says a fourth opponent is still to be confirmed for finals weekend. That makes the Scotland All Blacks game a test of both ambition and depth.

The scale of the task is clear from the long wait. A BBC Scotland podcast framed it as 121 years without a win, and Scotland’s record in the fixture is still no wins from 33. With Russell, Tuipulotu and Jones all back, and New Zealand missing several injured players, Saturday gives Townsend’s side a strong chance to end it.

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File photo: 2017.06.17.15.35.32-Finn Russell charge down try (34527432994).jpg by www.davidmolloyphotography.com from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.