Scotland's options assessed as Finn Russell and Blair Kinghorn miss out against Fiji

Gregor Townsend is used to having these constrictions placed upon him and there was a similar scenario in Scotland’s last match, against Uruguay in Montevideo in July when only players from Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors were available (with the notable exception of Ewan Johnson who was given dispensation by Oyonnax to play).

The head coach commented last week that selecting from only the two Scottish pro teams could actually make his job easier given how little time he will have to work with the players in the build-up to the Fiji game. But being deprived of his English- and French-based players for the opening autumn Test does mean vacancies in two key positions: stand-off and full-back. Finn Russell and Blair Kinghorn are firmly established as the first picks at 10 and 15 but neither is available this Saturday. Russell will at least have the weekend off as the Gallagher Premiership goes into hibernation for the next four weekends but Kinghorn is likely to be playing for Toulouse in their Top 14 match away to Bayonne on Sunday night.

Neither Russell nor Kinghorn was chosen for Scotland’s summer tour so Townsend has recent experience of doing without the gifted pair. The full-back duties were shared by Harry Paterson and Kyle Rowe in North and South America and it looks like a straight choice between the two for the 15 jersey against Fiji.

Both did well on tour but Rowe has stolen a march on his Edinburgh counterpart this season after Paterson missed the start of the campaign through injury. Comfortable on the wing or at full-back, Rowe, 26, has started five of Glasgow’s six URC matches and contributed three tries, including a beauty in Saturday’s impressive win over the Stormers in South Africa. His only outing at 15 was against Zebre but he started at full-back for Scotland in the Six Nations win over Wales last season as well as the tour matches against the USA and Chile, scoring two tries in the latter, his first for his country.

Paterson, 23, is probably more of a natural full-back and enjoyed a surprise Test breakthrough last season when he started against France at Murrayfield when Kinghorn and Kyle Steyn were both unavailable. He handled that occasion with great assurance and then was man of the match in the tour opener against Canada, scoring a try in what was only his second Scotland appearance. He also played in the win over Uruguay but continues to be hindered by injuries, the latest being a cut foot sustained on the glass door of a sauna. He has recovered now and played for Edinburgh against the Ospreys in Bridgend on Saturday in what was a disappointing 22-13 defeat for the visitors.

Form and experience would suggest Rowe gets the nod this weekend, provided he is not needed on the wing where Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham are the likely starters.

Stand-off is less clearcut and comes down to a choice between Glasgow Warriors team-mates Adam Hastings and Tom Jordan. Hastings, 28, has not played for Scotland at Murrayfield since the last match against Fiji two years ago. That was an eventful afternoon for the fly-half who scored a lovely solo try but then had to come off early in the second half after being on the receiving end of a monstrous hit from Ratu Rotuisolia.

After an injury-ravaged couple of seasons Hastings returned to the international fold in the summer, starting against the US then coming off the bench in the wins over Chile and Uruguay. He’s now back at Glasgow and has started three times at 10 for them this season as well as making a couple of substitute appearances.

He and Jordan provide good competition for each other and both are likely to see game-time on Saturday, one as a sub. The uncapped Jordan is eligible after fulfilling the five-year residency requirement and the Fiji game should see the New Zealand-born player tied to Scotland.

Jordan, 26, has been a huge part of Glasgow’s success under Franco Smith who gave him an opportunity when others didn’t. He has started four games for the Warriors this season, three at 10 and one at 12. It may be that his debut will come off the bench this weekend as Hastings is given the opportunity to start against opponents with whom he has some unfinished business.