Scotland gave world champions South Africa a real contest at Murrayfield last weekend but ultimately fell short as the Boks ran out 32-15 winners in the end.
Gregor Townsend will hope to see his team bounce back with a commanding victory this weekend when they take on Portugal who will be playing at the home of Scottish Rugby for the first time in history this weekend. With many of the nation’s biggest names expected to be rested there should be a chance for the squad’s fringe players to get some time in the spotlight.
With that in mind, this is our predicted starting XV for this weekend’s third Autumn Nations Series Test:
5. Ewan Johnson
Although we expect rotation, there may be a chance that Townsend still opts for experience in the engine room so we may yet see Grant Gilchrist start a third test in a row but Johnson will likely start either alongside him or in his place | SNS Group / SRU
6. Jamie Ritchie
Scotland will need experience in a heavily rotated side and Ritchie, a former Scotland captain, clearly provides that and will likely be named skipper if the XV is as changed as we expect | SNS Group
7. Luke Crosbie
The Edinburgh flanker should get the chance to add to his 11 caps and his versatility may seem him moved around the back row as the game goes on | SNS Group / SRU
8. Josh Bayliss
Jack Dempsey's withdrawal from the squad will give the Bath man a massive chance to stake a claim to more regular game time in the dark blue over the next two matches | SNS Group