White returns for Scotland’s final Rugby World Cup warm-up with Georgia
EDINBURGH – Scrum-half Ben White is back in the Scotland starting side to face Georgia at Murrayfield on Saturday following a recent pre-Rugby World Cup injury scare.
First-choice number nine White suffered an ankle injury in the first of two warm-up games against World Cup hosts France earlier this month but was included in coach Gregor Townsend’s 33-man squad for the tournament.
White did not feature in August 12’s narrow 30-27 loss to Les Bleus in Saint-Etienne but will now be involved from the kick-off in Scotland’s final warm-up game before heading back to France.
Dynamic winger Duhan van der Merwe, who suffered a minor ankle injury in Saint-Etienne, is also in the starting lineup and will feature alongside five-cap Ollie Smith, the least experienced player in Saturday’s run on side, who is in for Blair Kinghorn at full-back.
Scotland, in a tough World Cup group also featuring top-ranked Ireland, begin their Pool B campaign against champions South Africa in Marseille on September 10.
Scotland (15-1)
Ollie Smith; Darcy Graham, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ben White; Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge, Jamie Ritchie (capt); Grant Gilchrist, Sam Skinner; WP Nel, Dave Cherry, Jamie Bhatti
Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Javan Sebastian, Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, George Horne, Ben Healy, Chris Harris
Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)
