Nations Championship: No Finn Russell for Scotland vs Argentina as Jonny Gray returns

Finn Russell will not feature in Scotland’s opening Nations Championship match of the season but could play against South Africa, head coach Gregor Townsend has said, adding Jonny Gray back.

Fly-half Russell, 33, has not fully recovered from the calf injury that ruled him out of the latter part of the Base’s domestic campaign and is not considered for Saturday’s game against Cordoba (20:10 BST) at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes. The Scots face the Springboks in Pretoria on July 11, then Fiji at Murrayfield on July 18.

Tom Jordan starts at 10 in Russell’s absence, with Fergus Burke among the replacements.

Gray missed this year’s Six Nations and returns to the Pumas, while 29-year-old Scott Cummings and 32-year-old prop Pierre Schoeman will win their 50th caps.

“It’s great for (Jonny Gray) to be back in the team,” Townsend said. It’s great that he and Scott Cummings are playing together.

“Johnny was in Glasgow when Scott passed as an 18-year-old. It’s great to see them both back in the second row.”

Overall, the XV in Córdoba features eight personnel changes to the squad that completed the Six Nations in mid-March with a loss to Ireland in Dublin.

Full-back Kyle Rowe, center Rory Hutchinson, wing Jamie Dobie, fly-half Tom Jordan, scrum-half George Turner, prop Elliott Millar-Mills and Cummings are the players to join the Grays as he comes into the side.

Kyle Steyn moves from left to right wing to accommodate Dobby. Prop Xander Fagerson and wing Darcy Graham, who started for Dublin, have been dropped to the bench.

Gregor Hiddleston could make his Scotland debut off the bench.

“We have to get out fast,” Townsend said.

“It’s our first game since Dublin. We’ve had plenty of evidence in the Six Nations and November that when we get our game in attack and defence, we can cause problems for any team in world rugby and beyond.

“I believe our team is very deep right now and we will use that bench to continue what the starters are doing or to increase the energy.”

Scotland: Rowe, Steyn, Hutchinson, Tuipulutu (capt), Dobie, Jordan, White; Schoeman, Ashman, Millar-Mills, Gray, Cummings, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey.

Substitutions: Hiddleston, Sutherland, Z. Fagerson, Samuel, Brown, Horne, Burke, Graham.