Freddy Douglas Set to Become Scotland’s Youngest Rugby Debutant in Six Decades

Freddy Douglas is already known for his skills as a ball-carrier and a specialist in breakdown play. The upcoming Autumn Test match between Scotland and Portugal will take place at Murrayfield on Saturday, 16 November, with a kick-off time of 15:10 GMT. Coverage will be available on BBC Radio Scotland and via live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Back-row player Freddy Douglas has been selected as a replacement for the third Autumn Test against Portugal, potentially making him the youngest debutant for Scotland’s men’s team in over six decades. The 19-year-old previously played for Scotland’s Under-18 team in the 2023 Six Nations Festival just 18 months prior, and is now set to become the youngest player to appear for the senior national team since Donald White in 1963. This season, the forward has not yet participated in a senior game, having instead played for Edinburgh A and represented Scotland in both the Under-20 Six Nations and the World Rugby Under-20 Trophy. Douglas, who led in tackles and breakdown steals during the Under-20 Six Nations, is anticipated to get playing time against Portugal at Murrayfield on Saturday, as Scotland is expected to dominate the match. Ben Muncaster, an Edinburgh team-mate of Douglas who played for Scotland A during the 2022 summer tour against Chile, is confirmed to make his debut. He has been named in the back row alongside Josh Bayliss from Bath and Luke Crosbie, also from Edinburgh. Glasgow lock Alex Samuel is also set to earn his first Scotland cap, partnering in the second row with Alex Craig of Scarlets. This represents a significantly altered line-up compared to the team that faced South Africa. Scotland coach Gregor Townsend indicated that Douglas’s mindset and physical attributes observed during training sessions suggest his readiness for international rugby. “It was meant to be a non-contact day on Wednesday and he was putting some big tackles in,” the former fly-half stated. Townsend added, “He has got the mindset we believe is ready for Test rugby. He will go forward and attack in defence. And he’s got a super strength, which is his ability to win turnovers.” “I remember Rory Darge coming in to train with us because he wasn’t really training with Edinburgh, never mind getting a chance to play for Edinburgh. And he impressed us in training. ” “I think his mindset was the one thing that stood out. That he was taking on the opposition no matter the fact they were seasoned Test players. ” “That is in our mind when we see Freddie. We saw it when we trained against the Under-20s last year and he was picking fights. He was tackling the big guys in our team.” “We’ve seen the ability for him to win the ball as well. It’s tougher and tougher now to win those tackle turnovers. But he’s got a brilliant technique and a bravery that he gets in those positions and he gets the ball back for his team.” Stafford McDowall will serve as captain for the team, playing in the midfield alongside Rory Hutchinson of Northampton, who is making his first appearance for Scotland since 2022. Darcy Graham is back after sustaining a concussion against Fiji earlier this month, and Arron Reed will occupy the other wing, having made his debut during this summer’s tour. Tom Jordan maintains his position at full-back, being the sole player retained from the starting line-up against the Springboks last weekend. Johnny Matthews, who was a late addition to the squad, is named on the bench and is expected to increase his single cap earned against Romania in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Ewan Johnson, an Oyonnax lock, is the replacement second-row player, and Kyle Rowe returns after being absent from the South Africa match due to injury. The Scotland team selected to play Portugal is as follows: Jordan (Glasgow); Graham (Edinburgh), Hutchinson (Northampton), McDowall (Glasgow), Reed (Sale); Hastings (Glasgow), Horne (Glasgow); Bhatti (Glasgow), Harrison (Edinburgh), Hurd (Leicester); Craig (Scarlets), Samuel (Glasgow); Crosbie (Edinburgh), Muncaster (Edinburgh), Bayliss (Bath). Replacements include: Matthews (Glasgow), Sutherland (Glasgow), Millar Mills (Northampton), Johnson (Oyonnax), Douglas (Edinburgh), Dobie (Glasgow), Currie (Edinburgh), Rowe (Glasgow).