Who is debutant Scotland back row McConnell?

Scotland v. USA: Autumn Nations Series

Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium Kick-off time: Saturday, November 1:40 GMT

Liam McConnell received his first Scotland cap against the United States on Saturday because of the aggression in his game, which he has known about for a while.

McConnell has recently participated in the Scotland Under-20 squad, which regularly trains against the entire national team.

McConnell fought off the impressive names, even going up against Pierre Schoeman, a massive prop.

The young Edinburgh back-rower sneeringly described his teammate as “a pretty big man, so I don’t know how that would go.”

Townsend, who has started McConnell out in the first match of the Autumn Nations Series, has a strong impression of that fiery competitive spirit.

According to Townsend, “we chose him based on both his potential and what he’s been doing with Edinburgh.”

“This season, we’ve already seen an all-around game from him.” His ability to carry balls, his quick passes, offloads, and his confidence to demonstrate his abilities under pressure.

“Those are the really additional elements that we’ve seen,” he said, “because Liam’s aggression and effort are what he really impressed us with when he was with us in the under-20s.”

McConnell has long been touted as the star of the future, but he had to sacrifice his time to make it happen in a back-row full of internationals in Edinburgh.

Jamie Ritchie left Perpignan in the summer, opening the door for McConnell, who has started three of Edinburgh’s four matches in the United Rugby Championship this year. He acknowledges Ritchie’s significant impact on his game.

In some ways, both of us are roughly comparable, McConnell said. He probably taught me a lot, I suppose. And then, since he’s left, I’ve tried to sort of do things that he used to do at the club.

The matchday 23 features two uncapped players: McConnell and Harri Morris, the Edinburgh hooker who starts off the bench.

Only Scottish-based players are available for the match against the USA, so Townsend has looked to experiment, with six players in the squad having six caps or fewer than that.

Townsend, who recently extended his contract to include the 2027 World Cup in Australia, said, “There’s a balance of players that are experienced, which will raise the level of performance and help those coming into the squad for the first time.”

We’ve looked at players who might require more match minutes in terms of individuals. Some of our players’ seasons have been impacted by injury.

“For someone like Scott Cummings, who played for the Lions on tour, the season started a little later. Therefore, we believe that getting a second game will be very valuable for him.

Before the big matches, which include New Zealand and Argentina back-to-back and a final game against Tonga, should provide more than enough for an experimental Scotland XV to prepare for the autumn campaign.

When asked if four wins from four is the goal, Townsend responded, “I think we have to go into every game with a focus on winning it.”

We firmly believe that players can win any team we encounter. However, it really depends on them. What’s working, what’s not working, and how do you adjust during a game? If you’re ahead, if you’re behind, what’s working, and what’s not working.