Johnson returns as eight Warriors named for Georgia test

Glasgow Warriors centre Sam Johnson has been named in the Scotland starting lineup for Saturday evening’s meeting with Georgia, in what will be the final match before Gregor Townsend names his 31-man squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

The 26-year-old – who made his debut against Italy earlier this year – burst onto the international scene during the 2019 Guinness Six Nations, scoring against Ireland at BT Murrayfield before his unforgettable score at Twickenham in March.

He will be one of two Glasgow representatives in the starting lineup, as Townsend makes 10 changes to the team that beat France at BT Murrayfield last weekend.

Up front, Matt Fagerson will make his first Scotland start since November’s victory over Fiji in Edinburgh, having impressed as a replacement in Nice a fortnight ago.

The Perth-born back-rower will look to transfer his end-of-season form for the Warriors to the international arena, after claiming the man-of-the-match award in Glasgow’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final win over Ulster at Scotstoun back in May.

The Warriors are well represented amongst the substitutes, with six of Dave Rennie’s squad set to play a role from the bench this weekend.

Grant Stewart will be looking to build on his debut cameo in a Scotland shirt, with Zander Fagerson coming back into the matchday 23 after missing the win over France.

Scott Cummings is involved for the third match in succession, reverting to the bench after his first senior international start.

All three of Scotland’s back-line replacements return to the matchday squad after starting in Nice, as Ali Price, Adam Hastings and Huw Jones come back into the fold for Scotland’s first-ever match in Tbilisi.