Hogg leads young Scots into battle for first time

STUART Hogg will captain Scotland against the USA as head coach Gregor Townsend makes 12 changes from the team that started last weekend’s 48-10 win over Canada.

Scrum-half George Horne and No.8 Matt Fagerson make their debuts and are joined by their respective older brothers Peter and Zander.

Jamie Bhatti, George Turner, Adam Hastings, Lewis Carmichael and Luke Hamilton will also make their first international starts in Houston, Texas.

Tour captain Stuart McInally remains injured and Grant Gilchrist, who led the side in Edmonton, drops to the bench, with full-back Hogg taking on the responsibility for the first time in his 61st cap career.

The Fagerson and Horne siblings, who all play for Glasgow, become the 48th and 49th brothers to play for Scotland, while it is the eighth time that two sets of brothers have been on the field at the same time.

Scotland head to Argetina next week and injured skipper John Barclay is looking forward to seeing how Scotland’s young guns deal with a hostile atmosphere in Resistencia.

Barclay, the 31-year-old back-row who is currently recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, has played in Argentina three times and won three times, in 2008 and twice in 2010.

The Edinburgh back row told TRP: “It’s a bit different in Argentina, it’s hostile. Back then when I played there was lots of foul play and the crowd would get incensed by referees. Those two tours were really good fun. We played really well over there.”

Barclay added: “I think Argentina were poor last weekend against Wales, very poor and they will be much better by the time Scotland come to town.

“The Scotland guys are lucky they will have had games against Canada and the USA beforehand, but it will be a big step up against a big side and that hostile crowd.

“I think we’ll learn a lot about the guys from this game and for the younger guys in the squad this will be a massive part of their learning curve because it will be a very tough Test.”