By Darin Hutson
The 23-year-old is one of 11 players yet to make it into double figures for caps in a starting line-up with just 132 caps between them, backed up by a bench only adding another 84, with George Turner鈥檚 45 accounting for more than half that total. He鈥檚 part of front-row with just five caps combined, loosehead prop Nathan McBeth having two and tighthead Fin Richardson being hitherto uncapped. Glasgow Warriors scrum-half George Horne, with 36 international appearances to his name, is the most-capped player in head coach Gregor Townsend鈥檚 starting XV and he鈥檒l share vice-skippering duties with blindside flanker Josh Bayliss. Inside-centre Stafford McDowall will be captain for the second time, having previously taken charge for his country鈥檚 59-21 win against Portugal at Edinburgh鈥檚 Murrayfield Stadium in November. Kick-off at Whangarei鈥檚 Semenoff Stadium is at 4.35am and it鈥檚 being broadcast live on Sky Sports for the benefit of early risers or anyone not yet in bed at that hour. That鈥檚 the first match of this tour for Townsend鈥檚 squad, with two more to follow 鈥 against Fiji in Suva on Saturday, July 12, and Samoa back in New Zealand, in Auckland, on Friday, July 18. Edinburgh hooker Harrison is one of three Borderers in the Scots鈥 touring party, along with Hawick鈥檚 Darcy Graham and Rory Sutherland, but he鈥檚 the only one in a match-day squad featuring three new faces. Joining him, Richardson, McBeth, Horne, Bayliss and 13-times-capped McDowall in this weekend鈥檚 starting XV are Ollie Smith, Harry Paterson, Rory Hutchinson, Arron Reed, Adam Hastings, Marshall Sykes, Cameron Henderson, Andy Onyeama-Christie and Ben Muncaster. Turner鈥檚 fellow replacements are Alec Hepburn, Will Hurd, Max Williamson, Gregor Brown, Alexander Masibaka, Fergus Burke and Jamie Dobie. Former Peebles player Harrison made his international debut as a replacement during a 52-11 win away to Chile last July 2024, scored his only Scotland try to date later that same month in a 31-19 victory versus Uruguay and was handed his first start against the Portuguese in November. Explaining his selection of a squad with so little experience, former Gala and Border Reivers player Townsend, 52, said: 鈥淭hey鈥檝e got an opportunity to play test matches now in the summer but also to be involved when we play the likes of the All Blacks and Argentina in November and then our Six Nations. 鈥淭he evidence is there from our last summer tour 鈥 I think we had 11 new caps on that tour and a number of those players went on to play tests in November and then featured in the Six Nations. 鈥淭he opportunity is there to go out and play well this weekend and put pressure on selection for the Fiji game, the Samoa game, and also make the most of this time together so they leave a really good impression on our minds as coaches for when next season comes around. These are players we want in our squad.鈥 Warning his players that pulling off Scotland鈥檚 first win ever against the Maoris, 53-20 winners away to Japan on Saturday, will be no easy feat, Townsend added: 鈥淭hey鈥檝e got very talented players throughout their team, in particular in the backs, where they look to express themselves. We saw that last week. 鈥淲e watched the Japan game. They put 50 points on a test nation away from home and they grew into the game. They were playing heads-up rugby. We’ve got to make sure they’re not able to do that.鈥 Saturday鈥檚 game is the two sides鈥 first meeting since an 18-15 loss for the Scots in New Plymouth, also on New Zealand鈥檚 North Island, in June 2000, with Ian McGeechan in charge, and only their third in total, the other one being a 24-8 beating at Murrayfield in November 1998, with Melrose鈥檚 Jim Telfer as head coach.