Rennie gets Scotland starting spot

Aug 2 2011

Ross Rennie will have the opportunity to stake his claim for a place in Scotland's Rugby World Cup squad after being named in the starting XV for Saturday's EMC Test against Ireland.

Rennie is set to make his first start at openside flanker at Murrayfield in a team showing five changes in personnel and one positional switch from the XV which beat Italy 21-8 in Scotland's final RBS 6 Nations fixture on March 19.

Johnnie Beattie will start at number eight and Alasdair Strokosch completes an all-changed back row by coming in at blindside flanker, while Jim Hamilton will start at lock.

Graeme Morrison returns at inside centre, with Sean Lamont moving to wing and Simon Danielli dropping out of the 22 altogether.

Rory Lawson will captain the team, with Alastair Kellock, Scotland's skipper during the Six Nations, named on the bench.

Scotland team to play Ireland at Murrayfield on Saturday, August 6 (kick-off 2.15pm):

C Paterson (Edinburgh); N Walker (Ospreys), J Ansbro (London Irish), G Morrison (Glasgow Warriors), S Lamont (Scarlets); R Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), R Lawson (Gloucester); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), G Cross (Edinburgh), J Hamilton (Gloucester), R Gray (Glasgow Warriors), A Strokosch (Gloucester), J Beattie (Glasgow Warriors), R Rennie (Edinburgh).

Replacements: D Hall (Glasgow Warriors), A Dickinson (Sale Sharks), A Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), D Denton (Edinburgh), G Laidlaw (Edinburgh), N De Luca (Edinburgh), J Cuthbert (Bath).