SCOTLAND v FRANCE at Stade de France, 16.3.2013 (21:00 local) Scott Johnson makes just two changes to his pack for the trip to face France in Paris. 22-year-old Glasgow Warrior Grant Gilchrist is handed a first test cap, replacing the injured Richie Gray in the second row, whilst fit again Alasdair Strokosch resumes on the blindside flank at the expense of Robert Harley. Ten members of the team have now retained their places in the same shirts for all five rounds including all five players behind the half backs. The bench remains unchanged from the round four defeat to Wales. The XV has 414 test caps between them; the bench has a further 154 caps. The average age of the walk-on team is 27 years; the average on the bench is almost 28. AGE & EXPERIENCE Total caps 80 6NC caps 40 Age 70 35 60 50 30 Caps 40 Age 30 25 20 20 10 0 15 Ford (2) Hall (16) Grant (1) Weir (10) Low (17) Scott (12) Hogg (15) Brown (7) Beattie (8) Murray (3) Cross (18) Evans (23) Laidlaw (9) Wilson (20) Gilchrist (4) Hamilton (5) Kellock (19) Pyrgos (21) Maitland (14) Jackson (22) T.Visser (11) Strokosch (6) S.Lamont (13) (1) RYAN GRANT TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Glasgow Warriors Overall 9 9 - - - - 5 - 4 Born: 8.10.1985 (27) in Kirkcaldy (Scotland) RBS 6 Nations 4 4 - - - - 2 - 2 Ht: 1.85m (6'1") Wt: 113kg (17st 11lb) v France - - - - - - - - - Position: Prop @ Stade de France - - - - - - - - - FACTBOX: 6 Nations 2013 4 4 - - - - 2 - 2 Educated at the Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia PRO12 debut was as an apprentice with Border Reivers against Ulster November 2006, the following year he joined Edinburgh. After 3 seasons with Edinburgh he switched his allegiance to Glasgow in the summer of 2010. He has not scored a try in professional rugby since crossing against Aironi in Viadana in April 2011 Represented Scotland in the U21 Six Nations 2006 and U21 World Championships later the same year in France He was playing for the Army when won his U21 caps as he was serving with the Royal Signals, he has also played for the Combined Services Scotland A debut came v Italy in Perth February 2007, he had two further games at A level, against Italy 2011 scoring a try at Galashiels, and against England last year Test debut came in Scotland's momentous 9-6 victory over the Wallabies in pouring rain at Newcastle, NSW, last June RBS Six Nations debut came in the Calcutta Cup defeat to England in round One. The only match he has missed starting at loosehead in Scotland's last ten games was their 15-21 defeat to Tonga in Aberdeen last November Compiled by (2) ROSS FORD TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Edinburgh Rugby Overall 67 56 11 - 2 10 27 1 39 Born: 23.4.1984 (28) in Edinburgh (Scotland) RBS 6 Nations 35 28 7 - - - 8 1 26 Ht: 1.85m (6'1") Wt: 114kg (17st 13lb) v France 6 6 - - - - - - 6 Position: Hooker @ Stade de France 4 4 - - - - - - 4 FACTBOX: 6 Nations 2013 4 3 1 - - - 2 - 2 Originally with Border Reivers' he joined Glasgow Warriors in summer 2007 but switched to Edinburgh in mid-October that year after the Rugby World Cup. Now in his 6th season with the capital club Represented his country at U16, U18, U19, (included the 2002 IRB/FIRA World Junior Championship in Italy), and U21 levels 2004 and 2005 6 Nations, World Junior Championships 2005 & 2006 Skippered Scotland to three wins out of three on their Southern hemisphere tour last summer; the only match he has missed in Scotland's last 19 was their 15-21 defeat to Tonga in Aberdeen last November Full cap came in November 2004 as 20 year old when he was a replacement in the game against Australia at Murrayfield Reached his 50th cap for Scotland in the opening RWC 2011 win over Romania, is now Scotland's second most capped hooker behind Gordon Bulloch On the 2009 British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa, he appeared in 7 games including the last test Made his RBS 6 Nations debut in 2006 as a replacement against Wales, this is his 8th successive RBS 6 Nations championship He is the youngest player ever to have played 100 PRO12 matches, achieving the milestone v Cardiff Blues in January 2010 when aged 25 (3) EUAN MURRAY TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Worcester Warriors Overall 52 47 5 - 2 10 22 1 29 Born: 7.8.1980 (32) in Glasgow (Scotland) RBS 6 Nations 26 23 3 - 1 5 6 1 19 Ht: 1.88m (6'2") Wt: 115kg (18st 1lb) v France 3 3 - - 1 5 - - 3 Position: Prop @ Stade de France 3 3 - - 1 5 - - 3 FACTBOX: 6 Nations 2013 3 3 - - - - 1 - 2 Scottish Cup finalist 2002 with Glasgow Hawks; enlisted by Glasgow Rugby on a full-time professional contract, summer 2003 Moved south to Northampton Saints for the start of 2007/8 season, initially playing with them in National 1, spent over 3 seasons there before switching to Newcastle part way through 2010/11 Summer 2012 joined Agen in Top14, made only 8 first team appearances before signing for English side Worcester Warriors, has just agreed a long term extension to his contract with the Premiership club Won National Trophy with Northampton 2008 and European Challenge Cup winner in 2009 He has played for three of Scotland's age-grade squads - U18 in 1997/98, U19 in 1998/99 (including the FIRA World Junior Championship in Wales), and U21 (6 Nations 2000 & 2001, SANZAR tournament in New Zealand 2000) and 2000/01 Full Scotland debut v Romania 2005, also played during 2011 RWC; His only two test tries to date came in successive matches against France and Ireland in 2007 Selected for the 2009 British & Irish Lions, his tour was curtailed due to an ankle injury - he played in 4 games. Made his RBS 6 Nations debut 2007, this is his seventh successive six nations campaign; his only try in the competition to date was scored against France in Paris in 2007 (4) GRANT GILCHRIST TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Edinburgh Rugby Overall - - - 1 - - - - - Born: 9.8.1990 (22) in Stirling (Scotland) RBS 6 Nations - - - - - - - - - Ht: 2.01m (6'7") Wt: 120kg (18st 12lb) v France - - - - - - - - - Position: Lock @ Stade de France - - - - - - - - - FACTBOX: 6 Nations 2013 - - - - - - - - - Has represented Scotland at U18 and U19 levels Played for Scotland in the U20 Junior World Championships 2009 in Japan and 2010 in Argentina Played one game in the 2010 U20 Six Nations, the 8-all draw against France in Inverness Summer 2011 travelled to Christchurch, New Zealand to play club rugby as a recipient of the John MacPhail Scholarship. Played his junior rugby with the Alloa and Stirling County clubs PRO12 debut was against Cardiff Blues at Murrayfield in September 2011 An unused bench replacement for senior Scotland team in their shock loss to Tonga in Aberdeen in November he is yet to make his debut The only try he has scored in professional rugby was for Edinburgh at the Dragons in the PRO12, February 2012. Has not played for his club for the past month Compiled by (5) JIM HAMILTON TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Gloucester Rugby Overall 45 37 8 - 1 5 14 1 30 Born: 17.11.1982 (30) in Swindon (England) RBS 6 Nations 25 21 4 - - - 4 1 20 Ht: 2.03m (6'8") Wt: 124kg (19st 7lb) v France 4 3 1 - - - - - 4 Position: Lock @ Stade de France 3 2 1 - - - - - 3 FACTBOX: 6 Nations 2013 4 4 - - - - 2 - 2 Member of Leicester Tigers Premiership squad 2001/2 - with them up until he moved north to join Edinburgh in summer 2008, spent 2 years with the capital team until joining Gloucester 2010 Premiership finalist with Tigers v Sale in 2006, won LV= Cup with Gloucester 2011 Played for England at U19 & U21 levels - U19 IRB World Cup in Chile in 2001 and 2002 & 2003 U21 Six Nations Qualifies for Scotland through his Glasgow-born father First start for Scotland was in the Twickenham match against England on the opening day of the 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship. This is his 6th RBS 6 Nations campaign His only test try so far was against Argentina in 13-9 win at Mar del Plata in 2010 Has signalled his intention to leave Gloucester at the end of this season to pursue his rugby in France. Has started Scotland's last nine RBS 6 Nations matches in the second row, and named man of the match in the round 3 victory over Ireland (6) ALASDAIR STROKOSCH TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Perpignan Overall 31 25 6 - 1 5 14 - 17 Born: 21.2.1983 (30) in Paisley (Scotland) RBS 6 Nations 13 10 3 - - - 3 - 10 Ht: 1.90m (6'3") Wt: 107kg (16st 11lb) v France 1 1 - - - - - - 1 Position: Back-row @ Stade de France 1 1 - - - - - - 1 FACTBOX: 6 Nations 2013 1 1 - - - - - - 1 Former pupil of Claremont High School, East Kilbride, is now a back-rower, but originally played lock at U21 level Played for East Kilbride before moving to Boroughmuir and then earning a contract with Edinburgh in 2002/3 season, in summer 2007 he joined Gloucester Has represented his country at U16, U18, U19, and U21 levels, playing in the 2003 & 2004 U21 Six Nations; U21 World Championship in 2003 in England and the following year in Scotland Churchill Cup finalist 2006, when Scotland A lost to NZ Maori, also played in the following season's tournament Full Scotland debut came in November 2006 against the Wallabies at Murrayfield, whilst his only test try was scored against Canada in Aberdeen in 2008 Made his RBS 6 Nations bow in 2008 v Ireland at Croke Park, this is his 6th campaign.