Barclay challengin the Irish defence
Scotland have made five changes in their starting team for Sunday’s crucial Rugby World Cup Pool B match against Argentina in Wellington.
Scotland are unbeaten in this year’s competition to date and are aiming for their sixth successive victory in a sequence that stretches back to the 2011 RBS 6 Nations Championship match against Italy at Murrayfield.
Success in the Cake Tin on Sunday will be the first time since the 1989-90 Grand Slam season that Scotland have won six games back-to-back.
The changes from the team that defeated Georgia 15-6 in Invercargill last week see Scotland’s most-capped player Chris Paterson and Ruaridh Jackson recalled to the back division instead of Rory Lamont and Dan Parks at full-back and stand-off respectively.
In the pack, prop Geoff Cross, lock Richie Gray and openside flanker John Barclay – who played in the opening 34-24 success against Romania – return in place of Euan Murray, Nathan Hines and Ross Rennie.
Captaincy remains with scrum-half Rory Lawson, who has a 100% record as Scotland skipper with four wins from four starts as first man out of the tunnel.
Head coach Andy Robinson said: “I have picked a team to beat Argentina – the selection is simply about this match and we must view it as another match, while affording our opponents the respect they deserve.
“We have met Argentina five times since the last Rugby World Cup so we both know each others’ styles and strengths.
“Of course we can draw confidence from our victories in Tucuman and Mar del Plata last year – just as Argentina will retain happy memories from their win at Murrayfield in 2009.
“I also believe that Argentina – as they have demonstrated already in the last two months – are a better team than we faced on their soil last year.”
Scotland team to play Argentina at the Wellington Regional Stadium in Rugby World Cup Pool B on Sunday 25 September, kick-off 8.30pm NZ time
15 Chris Paterson (Edinburgh) 107 caps 22 tries, 90 conversions, 167 penalties, 3 drop-goals, 800 points
14 Max Evans (Castres) 22 caps, 3 tries, 15 points
13 Nick De Luca (Edinburgh) 27 caps, 1 try, 5 points
12 Graeme Morrison (Glasgow Warriors) 31 caps, 3 tries, 15 points
11 Sean Lamont (Scarlets) 58 caps, 8 tries, 40 points
10 Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors) 9 caps, 2 conversions, 1 penalty, 1 drop-goal, 10 points
9 Rory Lawson (Gloucester) CAPTAIN 29 caps
1 Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh) 58 caps
2 Ross Ford (Edinburgh) 51 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
3 Geoff Cross (Edinburgh) 7 caps
4 Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors) 14 caps
5 Jim Hamilton (Gloucester) 33 caps, 1 try, 5 points
6 Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester) 21 caps, 1 try, 5 points
7 John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors) 30 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
8 Kelly Brown (Saracens) VICE CAPTAIN 48 caps, 4 tries, 20 points
Substitutes
16 Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors) 36 caps, 1 try, 5 points
17 Alasdair Dickinson (Sale Sharks) 22 caps, 1 try, 5 points
18 Nathan Hines (Clermont Auvergne) 75 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
19 Richie Vernon (Sale Sharks) 13 caps
20 Mike Blair (Edinburgh) 73 caps, 7 tries, 35 points
21 Dan Parks (Cardiff Blues) 64 caps, 4 tries, 15 conversions,52 penalties, 15 drop-goals, 251 points
22 Simon Danielli (Ulster) 31 caps, 8 tries, 40 points