Scotland teenager with 'mindset for Test rugby' is poised to emulate Gregor Townsend

Douglas, also 19, has yet to play a competitive first-team game for his club, Edinburgh, and is poised to become Scotland’s youngest men’s debutant in over 60 years.

He was hailed this week as “world class already” by John Dalziel, the Scotland forwards coach who also labelled him "a superstar” in the making. Such epithets could be a burden on one so young but Townsend believes Douglas is mentally equipped to make the step up and has urged the openside flanker to play his natural game. The head coach didn’t stint on the superlatives either, praising the player’s “brilliant technique” and “bravery”.

“We want him to just deliver and play the game that we’ve seen him play at under-20s for Scotland but also Edinburgh A and how he’s trained with us,” said Townsend. “He has got the mindset we believe that 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 and win that ball back for his team.”

Douglas is one of three uncapped players in Townsend’s match-day squad for the third game of the Autumn Nations Series. Stafford McDowall captains the team.

Alex Samuel, the Glasgow Warriors lock forward, and Ben Muncaster, the Edinburgh back-rower, have both been picked to start for their Scotland debuts. Douglas, meanwhile, is poised to become Scotland’s youngest male debutant since Donald White in 1963. It is just 18 months since he was playing in an under-18 Six Nations Festival and Townsend has likened his progression to that of Rory Darge who struggled for game-time at Edinburgh but flourished immediately after moving to Glasgow Warriors.

“We see it as an opportunity for him,” said Townsend. “We believe in what he can bring to our team this weekend but also in the future. 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 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 as an openside 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.”

Townsend’s Scotland debut as a teenager was off the bench against England in the 1993 Five Nations. Douglas’ international bow is not quite as high profile but there will certainly be plenty to witness it, with ticket sales for the Portugal game approaching 60,000.

His club-mate, Muncaster, will start the game in the No 7 jersey, reward for an impressive start to the season during which he has played across the back row for Edinburgh. Muncaster, 23, was part of Scotland’s summer tour in 2022 and played against Chile in an A international in Santiago but returned home before the Test series with Argentina. His progress was then stunted by injuries but he now has the opportunity to stake a claim.

“I think Ben has had to be patient,” said Townsend. “He’s had to deal with disappointments. He’s had to deal with a lot of competition in the Edinburgh back row as well. We’d heard real positive things about him during pre-season and we heard that he might get an opportunity to start for Edinburgh. He did, he grabbed it, playing No 8 and then playing openside as well, showing his versatility.”

Samuel will also make his Test bow, playing alongside Scarlets’ Alex Craig in the second row. Townsend sees it as a good blend and believes the 6ft 9in Samuel can dominate the lineout.

“Alex [Samuel] has been training at a real high level,” said Townsend. “He's physical and that really helped us prepare well last week in terms of the aggression he brought.”

At 21, he becomes the latest young Glasgow forward to progress to the international honours after Max Williamson and Gregor Brown who will both miss the remainder of the autumn series due to injury. Williamson fractured his thumb in the defeat by South Africa on Sunday and has had surgery which is likely to rule him out for two months. Brown picked up a rib injury before the Boks game and should return in three to four weeks. There was also disappointing news for Glasgow and Scotland on Jack Dempsey who came off with a shoulder injury against the world champions and will also be out for up to two months.

Portugal, ranked 15 in the world, will be an altogether more winnable game for Scotland and Townsend has felt able to make 14 changes to the side which started against South Africa. Tom Jordan is the one player who retains his place and that is only because the unlucky Harry Paterson picked up a hamstring injury in training. The Edinburgh full-back had been earmarked to start against the Portuguese who impressed at last year’s World Cup, beating Fiji and drawing with Georgia.

Saturday’s match will see the welcome return of Darcy Graham who scored four tries in the autumn opener against Fiji but missed the South Africa game because of concussion. Arron Reed of Sale Sharks starts on the other wing. Rory Hutchinson, of Northampton Saints, is at outside centre for his first Scotland outing in over two years. The half-back pairing is Glasgow duo Adam Hastings and George Horne.

In the front row, Patrick Harrison and Will Hurd will add to the two caps they gained on summer tour, with Jamie Bhatti also starting. No 8 Josh Bayliss and Luke Crosbie join Muncaster in the back row.

Glasgow hooker Johnny Matthews, left out of the original autumn squad, is named on the bench along with Ewan Johnson, the Oyannax lock, and Kyle Rowe who returns after missing the South Africa match with a hamstring injury. Matt Currie, the Edinburgh centre, is also among the replacements and set for his first Scotland match at Murrayfield.

Scotland: T Jordan; D Graham, R Hutchinson, S McDowall (capt), A Reed; A Hastings, G Horne; J Bhatti, P Harrison, W Hurd, A Craig, A Samuel, L Crosbie, B Muncaster, J Bayliss. Replacements: J Matthews, R Sutherland, E Millar Mills, E Johnson, F Douglas, J Dobie, M Currie, K Rowe.