Horne to make first Guinness Six Nations start
7 Mar 2024George Horne will make his first start in the Guinness Six Nations this weekend, after being named at scrum-half for Scotland’s clash with Italy on Saturday afternoon.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 18: Glasgow's George Horne converts to make it 7-6 during a BKT United Rugby Championship match between Glasgow Warriors and Benetton Rugby at Scotstoun Stadium, on November 18, 2023, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group) The club centurion is one of 10 Glasgow Warriors selected for the trip to Rome, as Franco Smith’s men contribute more players to the national setup than any other team.
All five of the Glasgow forwards that started the Calcutta Cup triumph over England are retained in the starting lineup, with George Turner starting his fourth successive match in the competition at hooker.
Zander Fagerson joins his club-mate in the front-row, the tight-head having featured prominently in the loose and at the set-piece at Scottish Gas Murrayfield last time out.
Scott Cummings continues in the second-row, after a performance that saw the former Glasgow Hawk claim three lineout steals against the Auld Enemy a fortnight ago.
Rory Darge continues as co-captain in the back-row, starting for the third successive fixture at openside as he looks to guide his team to retaining the Cuttitta Cup.
Jack Dempsey packs down at number eight, with Dempsey currently trailing only club-mate Cummings and Pierre Schoeman in the tackle charts for Scotland thus far.
Behind the scrum, Horne is selected to start a Test match for Scotland for the first time since the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the Howe of Fife product having crossed for a hat-trick against Russia in Shizuoka on that occasion.
Huw Jones continues in the number 13 jersey, with the centre – who recently extended his contract with Glasgow Warriors – sitting joint-top of the charts with Finn Russell for try assists across the Guinness Six Nations to date.
Kyle Steyn rounds out the Glasgow cohort in the starting XV, having started the 33-22 victory over the Azzurri on Scotland’s last visit to Rome in 2022.
Two more Warriors await their opportunity amongst the replacements, with Matt Fagerson returning to the matchday 23 after missing out on the victory over England.
Kyle Rowe also comes back into the matchday squad, having started the opening two fixtures against Wales and France respectively.
Supporters can watch the match live on STV and ITV this Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 2.15pm UK time.
