Scotland coach Vern Cotter has made two enforced changes to his starting lineup for the match against Wales at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Wing Sean Lamont has recovered from the calf injury that kept him out of the match against France and will win his 92nd cap as a direct replacement for clubmate Tommy Seymour, who has failed to recover from the hip injury he sustained in Paris.
The second change sees Geoff Cross promoted from the bench in place of British & Irish Lions prop Euan Murray, who is unavailable on the Sabbath due to his religious beliefs. Jon Welsh will replace Cross on the substitutes bench.
Scotland opened their campaign with a 15-8 defeat against France in Paris, but Cotter was encouraged by what he saw.
'Last weekend's performance, in terms of linebreaks and heart, was encouraging,' said Cotter. 'We defended well and our lineout, scrum and defence stood up to a very stern French assessment.
'I'm pleased we were in a situation to contest the match throughout, but we left the paddock very frustrated and disappointed that we didn't get more from the game – and I think that's a good measure of this squad.
'The fans were outstanding throughout the autumn and we're looking forward to getting back out there, pulling on the jersey, rolling up our sleeves and having a good crack at a powerful Welsh side.'
Scotland – 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Subs: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Jon Welsh, 19 Jim Hamilton, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Greig Tonks, 23 Matt Scott.
Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images
