Jordan to Start for Scotland Against South Africa

South Africa previously demonstrated their dominance over Scotland during the 2023 World Cup. The upcoming Autumn Nations Series match between Scotland and South Africa is scheduled for Sunday, 10 November, at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, with kick-off at 16:10 GMT. Coverage will include commentary on BBC Radio Scotland & Sounds, along with text updates available on the BBC Sport website & app. Tom Jordan is set to make his inaugural start for Scotland when they face the reigning world champions, South Africa, at Murrayfield this Sunday. Key players Finn Russell and Blair Kinghorn, alongside scrum-half Ben White, are back in the squad after being absent from the previous weekend’s 57-17 victory against Fiji. Jordan, who hails from New Zealand and typically plays fly-half for Glasgow Warriors, made a strong impression as a substitute full-back in the Fiji match and will retain that position. Darcy Graham will not participate due to a concussion, leading to Kinghorn moving to the wing. Ali Price and Adam Hastings have been omitted from the squad, while Jamie Dobie remains as the reserve scrum-half. Scotland’s head coach, Gregor Townsend, stated, “You know that you’re going to have to play your best rugby to be in the game.” He added, “It’s got everybody’s minds focused and the players are really relishing the opportunity.” The previous autumn, the Springboks commenced their triumphant World Cup defense by securing a dominant 18-3 victory against Scotland. Townsend indicated that this prior experience ought to be advantageous for his team, swiftly highlighting “different contexts” and clarifying that “probably more emotion” was involved due to the significance of that World Cup opening match in France. Regarding Jordan’s selection, he further commented: “We thought he could operate there at Test level. We didn’t think he’d get that opportunity so quickly. “His position in the backfield has always been good when he’s played at 10 for Glasgow. “With Blair having played a lot on the wing, not just over his career, but this season, we feel that’s the best combination.” Eben Etzebeth will lead South Africa as captain, while Siya Kolisi is named among the substitutes, a bench featuring seven forwards. Second-rowers Franco Mostert and RG Snyman are back following extended periods out due to injury; Mostert will start, and Snyman will be a replacement. As number eight Kwagga Smith prepares to earn his 50th cap in Edinburgh, head coach Rassie Erasmus has implemented 11 alterations to the team that triumphed over Argentina in September. Townsend also remarked, “When you think of the Springboks you think of physicality, but there’s an extra dimension. “They are very innovative around set-pieces and they move the ball wide with pace.” He concluded, “We expect an open game and a game that will test us over every minute.” Townsend has opted for six forwards on his bench, stating that they offer “the required physicality and also add pace.” Scotland has achieved victory against South Africa on merely five occasions out of 29 encounters, with their most recent win occurring in 2010. Erasmus had anticipated that Russell might be among Scotland’s substitutes and confessed that Jordan’s selection at full-back was unexpected for him. He commented, “We will have to do some homework on him. “They are definitely keeping us guessing because what they did in the Six Nations games and what they did against Fiji were total opposites.” Erasmus emphasized that their previous World Cup clash was more competitive than the final score indicated. He stated, “They are a class team. “Scotland think they are going to win and we know, if we are a little bit off our game, we are in for a very tough and long day.” South Africa presently holds the second position in the rankings, five spots higher than Scotland. When questioned about a potential widening gap between leading teams and others, Erasmus responded: “I remember when we took over in 2018, we were number six in the world and within a year and a half, we won the World Cup. Things can change very quickly.” He concluded, “We haven’t experienced big scores against Scotland and always found it a grind, so we are preparing for a massive arm wrestle.” The Scotland squad includes: Jordan, Kinghorn, Jones, Tuipulotu (capt) Van der Merwe, Russell, White; Schoeman, Ashman, Z Fagerson, Gilchrist, Cummings, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey. Replacements are: Richardson, Sutherland, Millar Mills, Williamson, Bayliss, Ritchie, Dobie, McDowall. The South Africa squad consists of: Le Roux, Moodie, Am, Esterhuizen, Mapimpi, Pollard, Hendrikse; Nche, Mbonambi, T du Toit, Etzebeth, Mostert, Van Staden, Louw, Smith. Replacements are: Marx, Steenekamp, Koch, Snyman, Kolisi, PS du Toit, Wiese, Williams.