STARTING XV:
15. Joe Luca Smith
14. Rob Stevenson
13. Bobby Beattie
12. Matt Gordon
11. Jonas Mikalcius
10. Will Magie
9. Josh Barton
1 Jordan Brodley
2. James Malcolm
3. Phil Cringle
4. Alex Toolis
5. Matas Jurevicius
6. Luke Frost
7. Lewis Wynne (c)
8. Matt Eliet
REPLACEMENTS: 16. Ollie Adams, 17. Jonny Harris, 18. Kyle Whyte, 19. Mark Bright, 20. Jack Ingall, 21. Ed Hoadley, 22. Harry Sheppard, 23. Dan BarnesHaving secured a spot in the quarter finals of the Championship Cup last weekend, the Scots have made three changes to the starting XV for Sunday afternoon’s fixture away to Nottingham.
Phil Cringle takes over at tight-head prop from Kyle Whyte, who drops to the bench, and Alex Toolis comes in to join Matas Jurevivius in the second row. Luke Frost moves to bind-side flanker with Matt Eliet taking over from Mark Bright at number 8 in a reshuffling of the forward pack.
The only other change comes in the backs, with Jonas Mikalcius taking over from Luke Hibberd on the left win.
Ed Hoadley will look to make his 50th appearance in a Scottish shirt off the bench this Sunday. Joining him on the bench are Olly Adams, Jonny Harris, Kyle Whyte, Mark Bright, Jack Ingall, Harry Sheppard and Dan Barnes.
Speaking on selection, forwards coach Stevie Scott said: “It’s important that we keep giving boys opportunities. We’ve got a long season ahead, so you’ll see that there are one or two players that are coming into the starting line-up and also on the bench, so we can give them that opportunity.
“You can’t do well in the League and the Cup with just 23 players. We need a full squad that are pushing one another for starting spots.”
The last time the Scots faced Nottingham was in a League match in October, which resulted in a narrow defeat for the Exiles 17-14. A win this weekend would guarantee the Londoners a home quarter final.
“This match is very important to us, not just because if we win we’re guaranteed a home quarter final, but because of our performance last time at the Bay.
“We look back on that game and we were disappointed in how we performed in the second half, so there’s that added motivation this weekend,” said Scott.
On his side’s opponent Scott said: “Nottingham are a good side who play a lot of width and are a very well-balanced team. They’ll be very confident off the back of last week, having secured a win away to Cornish Pirates.
“They put in a good performance and that was a decent result for them. They’re still in the mix to qualify for the quarter finals as well, so we expect a fast, physical game.”
STARTING XV:
15. Joe Luca Smith
14. Rob Stevenson
13. Bobby Beattie
12. Matt Gordon
11. Jonas Mikalcius
10. Will Magie
9. Josh Barton
1 Jordan Brodley
2. James Malcolm
3. Phil Cringle
4. Alex Toolis
5. Matas Jurevicius
6. Luke Frost
7. Lewis Wynne ©
8. Matt Eliet
REPLACEMENTS: 16. Ollie Adams, 17. Jonny Harris, 18. Kyle Whyte, 19. Mark Bright, 20. Jack Ingall, 21. Ed Hoadley, 22. Harry Sheppard, 23. Dan Barnes
STARTING XV:
15. Joe Luca Smith
14. Rob Stevenson
13. Bobby Beattie
12. Matt Gordon
11. Jonas Mikalcius
10. Will Magie
9. Josh Barton
1 Jordan Brodley
2. James Malcolm
3. Phil Cringle
4. Alex Toolis
5. Matas Jurevicius
6. Luke Frost
7. Lewis Wynne (c)
8. Matt Eliet
REPLACEMENTS: 16. Ollie Adams, 17. Jonny Harris, 18. Kyle Whyte, 19. Mark Bright, 20. Jack Ingall, 21. Ed Hoadley, 22. Harry Sheppard, 23. Dan Barnes