DUHAN DROPPED! No-one doubts Kyle Steyn's ability ... but not even having option of Van Der Merwe off the bench against All Blacks is a MASSIVE call by Gregor Townsend

It wasn’t difficult to follow Gregor Townsend’s logic for starting Kyle Steyn over Duhan van der Merwe on the wing against the All Blacks this weekend - but that didn’t make it any less of a shock.

Although hugely unfortunate with injury over the years, Steyn when fit has always served Scotland well, with a strike rate of 13 tries from 25 caps.

The Glasgow Warriors captain is more versatile than van der Merwe, better under the high ball, and more diligent defensively. His leadership skills and ability to rouse others, on and off the pitch, also go in his favour.

However, if Van der Merwe is lacking in many of those departments, what no other Scotland player possesses is his undoubted physicality and dazzling combination of power and pace that have been such a key factor in him claiming 34 tries in a half-century of Scotland appearances.

An almost tangible buzz of anticipation ripples around the Murrayfield stands whenever the ball is worked wide into his hands. With plenty of open prairie ahead of him to exploit, he brushes defenders out of his way as he tears towards the try line.

Not having that option, even off the bench, is a massive call from Townsend as Scotland look to end 120 years of pain by finally landing an elusive win over the All Blacks on Saturday.

Jamie Dobie and Tom Jordan - the two backs on the 6-2 bench - offer greater flexibility across the pitch, leaving van der Merwe to take a seat in the stand to see if his team-mates can win without him.

For all his stellar service and undoubted qualities, Steyn deserves his moment, but it will still be strange watching a Scotland team line up to face the haka without van der Merwe among them.

‘Of course, it was a tough and close decision, but we’ve got much better depth in that wing position than ever before, and the fact that they’re all fit,’ explained Townsend. ‘Over the last couple of years, Kyle did a Six Nations when Darcy [Graham] was out, then Darcy came in and Kyle missed a Six Nations. Duhan’s been probably the constant in that he’s not missed many games for us.

‘I’d imagine if you put everybody in the room here and you multiply that by how many Scotland supporters we have, they’re going to have not picked the same team as me. ‘It’s a very good situation that we’re in, that we have quality players that have missed out, including one who’s our record try-scorer who won his 50th cap at the weekend.

‘That’s the faith we have in Kyle, that he’s in the form to start in that 11 jersey this weekend. We know that not all of our players have been able to play a number of games leading into this tournament but Kyle’s been consistently strong in all aspects of his game so he’s earned this opportunity.

‘It’s the first time Duhan has been dropped from the Scotland team, the first time I’ve had to drop him. Of course, he’d be disappointed but he’s trained well this week. And that’s all you ask, for players to park the disappointment and get behind the team that’s selected at the weekend.’

While Townsend has bountiful options on the wing - Kyle Rowe was also unlucky to miss out - the same can’t be said at tighthead.

Ever since WP Nel shuffled into international retirement, Zander Fagerson has been the undoubted stand-out in the No 3 jersey, a powerhouse prop who would regularly go the 80 minutes and beyond.

Injuries, though, have finally caught up with the Glasgow man, a calf problem denying him a place on the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer. That turned into a knee issue as he continued his rehabilitation.

Hope that Fagerson would finally end his seven-month absence this weekend always seemed ambitious. D’arcy Rae has been the man to benefit as he earns a second Test start, backed up by Elliot Millar Mills from the bench.

‘This time last week, I thought Zander would be available because he trained on the Tuesday and Wednesday,’ said Townsend.

‘While we managed him at training, he did live tackling, he did scrummaging, he carried the ball really well. As coaches, we’re thinking: “He’s going to be available, isn’t he”? But his knee just wasn’t 100 per cent right.

‘He’s been relaxed this week that it’s nothing major. This was just a game too early. And, if Zander had been in the squad, it would have been quite a big ask to come back for your first game in six months to play New Zealand.’

Elsewhere in the team, Rory Hutchinson gets the nod to start at 13 ahead of Stafford McDowall, while Gregor Brown is pitched in at blindside rather than Jamie Ritchie. Marshall Sykes makes the bench ahead of Max Williamson, and Rory Darge is deemed to have recovered sufficiently from a knee injury to also be listed among the replacements.

The decision to start Hutchinson, with Huw Jones sidelined, is another big one but Townsend believes it’s one merited by the Northampton Saints centre.

‘There have been areas of Rory’s game where he’s really kicked on, and those were areas we were working on with him to bring them out,’ added Townsend.

‘I think his work-rate off the ball has improved a lot. On the ball, I think he’s one of the best players around, in the northern or southern hemisphere, so it’s how he gets on the ball more. His defence has improved the last two or three years a fair amount.’

The All Blacks make three changes from the team that defeated Ireland last week, including a start for Wallace Sititi who spent his early years in the Scottish Borders when his dad, Semo, was a team-mate of Townsend’s.

‘I remember going sledging with Wallace and his sister at St Boswell’s Golf Club and they were wrapped up so warm that they could hardly move,’ recalled Townsend. ‘At the start of every pre-season, Tony Gilbert [the Reivers head coach] took us to the Wallace monument not far from St Boswell’s.

‘Obviously it must have resonated with Semo and his family and they said: “Okay, we’re going to call our son Wallace”. There will be only one Wallace Sititi in the world so I’m looking forward to chatting with him.’