Hawick’s Darcy Graham and Jedburgh’s Glen Young named in Scottish rugby matchday squad to face Australia

Darcy Graham during a Scotland training session in Edinburgh this week (Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group/SRU)

Edinburgh team-mates Graham, 25, and Young, 27, are the only Borderers in head coach Gregor Townsend’s matchday squad to face Australia at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday, though the latter is joined among the replacements by ex-Melrose players Jamie Bhatti and Damie Hoyland.

Lock Young is a late addition to ex-Gala and Border Reivers star Townsend’s 40-man squad, having been drafted in after Glasgow Warriors’ Scott Cummings was ruled out of the Scots’ autumn nations series by a broken toe sustained in training this week.

The 6ft 7in second-row made his debut for Scotland in July as a replacement against Argentina during the Scots’ summer tour of South America and will be hoping to get the nod to make his first international appearance in his homeland and second altogether.

Borderer Glen Young during an Edinburgh training session this month (Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group/SRU)

Explaining Cummings’ exit from the squad, Townsend, 49, said: “It's a big blow for him because he'd been playing very well for Glasgow and he had a great tour.

“He picked up an injury just before the Six Nations, so to pick up an injury in training yesterday just before the autumn series is so disappointing for him.

“I’m sure he’ll bounce back well and be available for us in the Six Nations.”

Jamie Ritchie will lead Scotland out as captain, having taken that role over from Hawick’s Stuart Hogg.

Gregor Townsend during a Scotland training session in Edinburgh this week (Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group/SRU)

Exeter Chiefs full-back Hogg is ineligible for Saturday’s game, along with Ulster loosehead prop and fellow ex-Hawick player Rory Sutherland, because it falls outwith the designated international window but did take part in training in Edinburgh this week.Also among Saturday’s replacements is former Australian international Jack Dempsey, the Glasgow Warriors back-row qualifying for selection by virtue of having a Scottish grandfather.

This weekend’s opening test, being screened live on Amazon Prime, kicks off at 5.30pm.

Making up the rest of Townsend’s starting line-up are Ollie Smith, Mark Bennett, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Blair Kinghorn, vice-captain Ali Price, Pierre Schoeman, Dave Cherry, Zander Fagerson, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist, Hamish Watson and Matt Fagerson.

George Turner, Willem Nel, George Horne and Ross Thompson are on the replacements’ bench too.