Freddy Douglas called up by Scotland for Portugal clash despite Edinburgh youngster still waiting to make club debut

Scotland have called up teenager Freddy Douglas – who has yet to play a competitive game for club side Edinburgh – for this weekend’s clash against Portugal.

The talented 19-year-old back-rower has been a standout for Scotland at youth level and caught Gregor Townsend’s eye during the Under-20 Six Nations and World Rugby Under-20 Trophy earlier this year.

A former shot putter, Douglas is in line to become Scotland’s youngest debutant since Donald White in 1963 if he gets off the bench at Murrayfield on Saturday.

“We want him to just deliver and play the game that we’ve seen him play at Under-20s for Scotland, and also Edinburgh A, and how he’s trained with us,” Townsend said.

“It was meant to be a non-contact day on Wednesday and he was putting some big tackles in. He has got the mindset we believe that is ready for Test rugby. We see it as an opportunity for him. We believe in what he can bring to our team this weekend but also in the future.”

Townsend has been very impressed by what he’s seen from the youngster so far, and sees parallels with the impact made by another current Scotland star in that regard.

“I remember Rory Darge coming in to train with us because he wasn’t really training with Edinburgh, never mind getting a chance to play for Edinburgh. And he impressed us in training,” Townsend reflected.

“I think his mindset was the one thing that stood out. That he was taking on the opposition no matter the fact they were seasoned Test players.

“That is in our mind when we see Freddie. We saw it when we trained against the Under-20s last year and he was picking fights. He was tackling the big guys in our team.

“We’ve seen the ability for him to win the ball as well. It’s tougher and tougher now to win those tackle turnovers. But he’s got a brilliant technique and a bravery that he gets in those positions and he gets the ball back for his team.”

Douglas joins a squad that includes a few lesser-known names including Glasgow lock Alex Samuel and Edinburgh back-rower Ben Muncaster who will both make their Test debuts.

Glasgow centre Stafford McDowall will skipper the side, assisted by vice-captains Luke Crosbie and George Horne.

Other notable inclusions are Sale wing Arron Reed and front-rowers Paddy Harrison and Will Hurd, who are all set to win their third caps, while Northampton centre Rory Hutchinson makes his first appearance since the 2022 summer tour of Argentina.

Meanwhile, versatile back Tom Jordan is the only player who started against South Africa to retain his place for against Portugal after Harry Paterson, who was due to start at full-back this weekend, got injured in training on Wednesday.

Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.