Scotland Rugby head coach Gregor Townsend has made 10 changes to the side who played Japan in their final World Cup fixture earlier this year - with two rookies set to face Ireland in their Six Nations opener.

He had no qualms about throwing in uncapped No. 8 Nick Haining. "We have managed to cover a lot of work in the two weeks we’ve been together and we’ve been impressed with how our players have taken on information and bonded as a team," Townsend said.

"Our goal is always to play to our potential. The challenge to do this starts on Saturday against Ireland.

“Playing to our potential starts with our collective mindset. That means being alert, focussed and resilient right from the beginning, to be ready for the physical battle that lies ahead and able to stay in the fight throughout the 80 minutes.

“We must be a relentless collective on the pitch and a nightmare for the Irish to deal with, while having the ability and awareness to impose our game at that intensity.

“As coaches, we put frameworks together and create an environment for them to thrive and reach their potential but ultimately it’s the players who go out and deliver.

"We’re looking forward to seeing them play in Dublin.”

Full squad: 

Hogg (Exeter, capt); Maitland (Saracens), Jones (Glasgow), Johnson (Glasgow), Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Hastings (Glasgow), Price (Glasgow); Sutherland (Edinburgh), Brown (Glasgow), Fagerson (Glasgow), Cummings (Glasgow), Gray (Glasgow), Ritchie (Edinburgh), Watson (Edinburgh), Haining (Edinburgh).