11 Warriors selected for France showdown

Jack Dempsey headlines the Glasgow cohort after recovering from a bicep injury sustained against England in round two, the number eight set to continue a campaign that has already seen him nominated for the Investec Player of the Year award after his barnstorming displays for the Warriors in the Investec Champions Cup.

He is joined in the back-row by club colleagues Matt Fagerson and Rory Darge, the latter leading the championship for turnovers won with eight after the first three rounds.

An all-Glasgow second-row partnership sees Gregor Brown revert to the engine room after starting on the blindside flank in Cardiff a fortnight ago, partnering the ever-present Scott Cummings for Saturday’s clash with Les Bleus.

Behind the scrum, Kyle Steyn wears the number 11 jersey, with no player having beaten more defenders than the Glasgow captain across the opening three rounds of competition.

Sione Tuipulotu leads Scotland once more from inside centre, continuing his partnership with Huw Jones in the midfield for a third successive fixture.

A brace of Warriors provide the cover at prop amongst the replacements, with Zander Fagerson – who rotates to the bench after starting each of Scotland’s first three fixtures – and Rory Sutherland awaiting their opportunity in front of the Scottish Gas Murrayfield crowd this weekend.

George Horne rounds out the Glasgow contingent, the scrum-half one of two backs selected as substitutes by Townsend and his coaching team.

Kick-off at Scottish Gas Murrayfield is scheduled for 2.10pm this Saturday, with the match live on BBC One.