By David Williams
Jac Morgan can provide Wales with the physical edge needed to avoid a first defeat to Scotland in Cardiff for 20 years, according to Wayne Pivac.
The Wales coach has handed Ospreys flanker Morgan a Test debut in Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against the Scots.
Morgan, 22, replaces Ellis Jenkins and lines up at openside flanker in a reshaped back-row that also sees Ross Moriarty start at number eight instead of Aaron Wainwright, with Taine Basham wearing the number six shirt.
Elsewhere, Morgan’s Ospreys colleague – wing Alex Cuthbert – makes a first Six Nations appearance for five years, being preferred to Johnny McNicholl.
But Cuthbert’s fellow wing Josh Adams, who started at outside centre in last Saturday’s Six Nations opener against Ireland in Dublin that Wales lost 29-7, is ruled out because of a tight calf muscle, so Owen Watkin fills the number 13 position.
Pivac said: “Jac Morgan comes in for his debut. He is someone that has really impressed us in training. He has worked very, very hard, he gives us a lot of physicality and he is very good over the ball.
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Here’s your Wales squad to face Scotland in the second round of the #GuinnessSixNations.
➥Bydd Jac Morgan, blaenasgellwr y gweilch, yn gwneud ei ymddangosiad cyntaf yn erbyn yr Alban dydd Sadwrn yma yn stadiwm y Principality.#WALvSCO
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 10, 2022
“We expect Scotland to come down full of confidence. Across the board, they are a very competitive and committed side that throws everything at every play.”
Pivac has resisted any temptation to make further changes, while captain Dan Biggar makes his 100th Test match appearance for Wales and the British and Irish Lions, becoming the ninth Welshman to achieve that feat.
Biggar wins a 97th Wales cap, with Wainwright among the replacements, but McNicholl and Jenkins, who skippered Wales in Autumn Nations Series games against Fiji and Australia this season, drop out completely.
Scotland have not won in Cardiff for 20 years, losing eight Six Nations Tests, a World Cup warm-up game and an autumn international during that time.
But they will arrive at the Principality Stadium following a stirring Calcutta Cup victory over England last weekend that confirmed serious Six Nations title credentials.
Wales, meanwhile, have not started a Six Nations campaign with successive defeats since 2007, and they must beat Scotland to revive any hope of a successful title defence.
Centre Jonathan Davies will join Biggar in reaching 100 Tests for Wales and the Lions if he features off the bench.
On Biggar and Davies, Pivac said: “To get 100 Test matches in total for any player from any country, it’s just a magnificent achievement.
“It shows the hard work and dedication they have put in and the sacrifice they have made over a number of years to get to this stage.
Good luck trying to tackle Jac Morgan! 🔥
Brilliantly evades multiple tackles for his second try of the game, and a third for @scarlets_rugby 🔴 pic.twitter.com/x1IgUSjPX6
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) February 20, 2021
“I am very, very happy for both of those players to achieve it and to do it on the same day.
“They have played a lot of Test matches together in the past. It is going to be fantastic to see them both out there at some stage.”
Moriarty won his 50th cap off the bench in Dublin, and he now makes a first Test start since suffering a shoulder injury during Wales’ defeat against New Zealand on October 30.
Pivac added: “With Ross now having had more training and game-time under his belt, we think he is the right guy to start.
Scotland flanker Jamie Ritchie has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury.
The 25-year-old went off in the second half of last weekend’s victory over England, and the Scottish Rugby Union confirmed, while announcing the team to face Wales, that his campaign is over.
In one of five changes to the side that started the Calcutta Cup match, Ritchie will be replaced by Exeter’s Sam Skinner.
Your Scotland team for Saturday’s @SixNationsRugby clash with Wales has been confirmed.
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/0c7KvfgHbI#AsOne pic.twitter.com/xDd4qaV0Yy
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 10, 2022
There are three changes to Gregor Townsend’s front row for the match in Cardiff, with Edinburgh’s Pierre Schoeman and WP Nel starting alongside hooker Stuart McInally.
Glasgow’s Sione Tuipulotu comes in to make his third Scotland appearance at inside centre.
Zander Fagerson, George Turner and Rory Sutherland drop to the bench, while Sam Johnson has been released to play for Glasgow on Friday.
Edinburgh’s Grant Gilchrist will win his 50th cap at lock.
Glasgow flanker Rory Darge is among the substitutes and will win his first cap if he gets off the bench. Scrum-half Ben White, who scored a debut try against England last weekend, is again a replacement, alongside Blair Kinghorn and Cam Redpath.
Wales: L Williams; Cuthbert, Watkin, Tompkins, Rees-Zammit; Biggar (capt), T Williams; W Jones, Elias, Francis, Rowlands, Beard, Basham, Morgan, Moriarty.
Replacements: Lake, G Thomas, D Lewis, S Davies, Wainwright, G Davies, Sheedy, J Davies.
Scotland: Hogg (c); Graham, Harris, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Russell, Price; Schoeman, McInally, Nel, Gray, Gilchrist, Skinner, Watson, M Fagerson.
Replacements: Turner, Sutherland, Z Fagerson, Bradbury, Darge, White, Kinghorn, Redpath.
