LONDON (RWC) – Scotland coach Vern Cotter has announced his team for the Pool B match against USA at Elland Road, Leeds, on Sunday 27 September, which kicks off at 9:30am ET, 6:30am PT.

It will be the least experienced side to take the field at the World Cup so far. The 273 caps for the Scots' starting XV is lower than Namibia's total of 289 caps in the starting line-up against New Zealand on Thursday.

It is Scotland's second youngest side in RWC history and their least experienced since the 46-29 defeat to South Africa on 3 October 1999.

Five players remain in the starting XV from the opening Pool B game against Japan: Grant Gilchrist, John Hardie, Finn Russell, Mark Bennett and Stuart Hogg all retain their places.

Vern Cotter has promoted the replacements from the Japan game to the starting XV and drafted in Tim Visser on the wing and Alasdair Stokosch in the back row. Duncan Weir and Tim Swinson are named among the replacements.

Henry Pyrgos, who will skipper the side, and Tim Visser will be making their RWC debuts.

The average age of the starting XV is 26 years and 288 days, exactly the same as the team who were beaten 40-0 by New Zealand in 2007. Only one Scotland starting XV in RWC history was younger, against the Ivory Coast in 1995.

The starting XV has scored 39 test tries between them, with Visser and Hogg accounting for 18 of those. They have scored 207 international points, 180 fewer than rested scrum-half Greig Laidlaw has managed on his own. Five Scottish players, including Laidlaw, have scored more points in their test careers than Scotland’s starting XV added togther.

Tim Visser is the second Dutch-born player to appear in a RWC, after Hans de Goede, who captained Canada in 1987.

SCOTLAND

1. Ryan Grant
2. Fraser Brown
3. Jon Welsh
4. Richie Gray
5. Grant Gilchrist
6. Alasdair Strokosch
7. John Hardie
8. Josh Strauss
9. Henry Pyrgos (c)
10. Finn Russell
11. Tim Visser
12. Pete Horne
13. Mark Bennett
14. Sean Maitland
15. Stuart Hogg

Replacements
16. Ross Ford
17. Alasdair Dickinson
18. WP Nel
19. Tim Swinson
20. Ryan Wilson
21. Greig Laidlaw
22. Duncan Weir
23. Matt Scott