Pyrgos Wins Scotland Call

Pyrgos Wins Scotland Call

_Glasgow Warriors scrum-half, Henry Pyrgos, has been rewarded for his fine form this season with a first ever call up to the Scotland team.The 23-year-old will be on the subs bench for the clash against New Zealand at Murrayfield, one of six Glasgow Warriors to be involved.In total Scotland make five changes from the team that completed a 100% winning record in Australasia during the summer for their first match of the season, Sunday’s EMC Test against New Zealand at Murrayfield. Along with Pyrgos, prop Ryan Grant has won his first Murrayfield start while full-back Stuart Hogg, wing Sean Lamont, stand-off Ruaridh Jackson and our club captain Al Kellock are all involved in the match-day 23.Former Warriors back-rower Kelly Brown, now plying his trade at Saracens, captains the side in his 50th appearance for the national team.The match is a near 67,144 sell-out with only a few single tickets left around the stadium, while the second EMC Test of the month at Murrayfield – against South Africa on Saturday 17 November – has already sold almost 50,000 tickets.It will be the first occasion that a Test at this time of year has attracted a capacity attendance since the stadium was redeveloped in 1994.Scotland head coach Andy Robinson said: ‘thanks to the fans for their tremendous backing. _For me, there’s nothing to compare to a full house on international match day and the chance for Scotland to challenge the best team in the world increases the sense of occasion ahead of Sunday’s EMC Test.The changes made from the team that rounded off the Southern Hemisphere tour with a last-gasp win against Samoa – following on earlier successes against Australia and Fiji – see Nick De Luca return for the injured Joe Ansbro at centre; Mike Blair, who had a superb game off the bench in Apia, start instead of the recuperating Chris Cusiter; and Geoff Cross, Jim Hamilton and captain Kelly Brown appear in the pack instead of Euan Murray, Alastair Kellock and Richie Vernon.Lock Richie Gray has made good progress from his ankle injury sustained on club duty last month and is listed, subject to a fitness test later this week.Robinson added: For our first game of the season we will really need to start well and keep the game simple._New Zealand are the world champions and they perform the basic skills, well, under the highest pressure.We need to step up from the summer tour and be ready to go toe to toe in a physical contest, just as Australia did most recently against New Zealand in Brisbane._Congratulations to Kelly Brown who will captain Scotland for the first time and will join distinguished company in winning his 50th cap.Brown is the 32nd Scot to reach the milestone of 50 caps._Scotland team (sponsor RBS) to play New Zealand in the EMC Test at Murrayfield on Sunday 11 November, kick-off 2.30pm 15 Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) 7 caps, 1 try, 5 points14 Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors) 68 caps, 8 tries, 40 points13 Nick De Luca (Edinburgh Rugby) 35 caps, 1 try, 5 points12 Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby) 4 caps11 Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby) 2 caps, 2 tries, 10 point10 Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh Rugby) 10 caps, 2 tries, 8 conversions, 15 penalties, 71 points9 Mike Blair (Brive) 83 caps, 7 tries, 35 points1 Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors) 3 caps2 Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) 61 caps, 2 tries, 10 points3 Geoff Cross (Edinburgh Rugby) 14 caps4 Richie Gray (Sale Sharks) 24 caps, 1 try,5 points5 Jim Hamilton (Gloucester) 39 caps, 1 try, 5 points6 Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan) 28 caps, 1 try, 5 points7 Ross Rennie (Edinburgh Rugby) 19 caps8 Kelly Brown (Saracens) CAPTAIN 49 caps, 4 tries, 20 points_Substitutes16 Scott Lawson (London Irish) 34 caps, 2 tries, 10 points17 Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh Rugby) 64 caps18 Kyle Traynor (Bristol Rugby) 3 caps19 Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors) 44 caps, 1 try, 5 points20 David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby) 6 caps21 Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) uncapped22 Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors) 13 caps, 2 conversions, 2 penalties, 2 drop-goals, 16 points23 Max Evans (Castres) 30 caps, 3 tries, 15 pointsReferee: Jerome Garces (France). _Assistant referees: Pascal Gauzere (France) and Simon McDowell (Ireland). TMO: Graham Hughes (England).

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