Scotland will play their second of four Nations Championship matches this weekend as Australia visit Murrayfield following the disappointment of last Saturday’s 43-21 defeat to New Zealand.
With two more fixtures to play after this one it’s likely that the coaching team will have to consider some rotation in key positions. There were also a few below-par performers from the All Blacks loss who could be at risk of losing their place as well as some tactical considerations.
Here is The Scotsman’s predicted starting XV and replacements for the fixture and where we think some of the potentially match defining selections could be made:
5. Scott Cummings
Line out functioned reasonably well apart from one silly penalty against New Zealand and his partnership with Brown in the engine room seems to be going well | Getty Images
6. Josh Bayliss
We may see some rotation in the pack as the coaching team look to manage minutes and with Matt Fagerson only returning from injury last weekend it could be a good chance to give the Bath man a run out in the starting XV | SNS Group / SRU
7. Rory Darge
Got through so much work in attack and defence against the All Blacks just as he does in seemingly every Test match. Another who will hopefully put in a big shift before a well earned rest in fixture number three this November | SNS Group
8. Jack Dempsey
Scotland won't have him available for the Six Nations in February so they should maximise his minutes this window. He'll also be desperate to once again take on the country of his birth who he represented before switching allegiances | SNS Group