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| - Head coach Gregor Townsend said on Thursday he has no qualms over Jaco van der Walt becoming Scotland's latest South Africa-born international. The 26-year-old Edinburgh fly-half is set to make his Test debut in Saturday's Autumn Nations third place play-off away to Ireland. Van der Walt completed a three-year residency eligibility qualification on November 16, but spent the two weeks leading up to the France defeat in quarantine after returning to South Africa to get married. Van der Walt is one of four South Africa-born players in Townsend's matchday 23 for the trip to Dublin, along with wing Duhan van der Merwe and replacement forwards Oli Kebble and Willem Nel. But Townsend said his squad was also proof that homegrown talent could still make it into the Test arena. "Jaco's been playing for Edinburgh the last three years and his play and performances have earned him the right to be considered," Townsend told reporters after naming his team to play Ireland. "We see him as a very good defender, someone that carries it well and has really good basics that can bring the best out of the players around him." Van der Walt will be Scotland's fifth fly-half of the end of year campaign, following the injured duo of Finn Russell and Adam Hastings, with skipper Stuart Hogg briefly deputising at No 10 against Wales before Duncan Weir took on the role. "Finn, Adam and Duncan all came through the Scottish system which is important, that players can see they can come through the system and play for Scotland," said Townsend. And while Townsend noted Van der Walt had a Scottish connection in a great-grandfather from Aberdeen, he also said: "But that's not necessary, we know the rules that other countries as well as ourselves have used, it's up to those players that get capped through those residency mechanisms -- they make a huge effort to play for that country. Scotland have just two professional teams in Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, hugely depleting their playing base. But Townsend said the inclusion in Saturday's team of Hogg, D'Arcy Graham and Rory Sutherland -- all of whom hail from Hawick in Scottish rugby's heartland Borders region -- was proof Scotland were not overly-reliant on imported talent. "The real pleasing aspect is we have three players from a small town in the Borders who are all starting for Scotland," said Townsend. "I believe we're producing players better than we've ever done before. "And as you know we don't have anything like the player numbers of any nation in the Top 15 in the world -- Italy and all those countries have many more players than us. "So we have to work very hard at getting players to the highest level. Our depth's at the best-ever level. There are players who have come through residency in that. "But that's always been the case over the years, players who are second or third generation or those who have come to live in our country," added Townsend, whose own Scotland career saw him playing alongside 'Kilted Kiwis' such as brothers John and Martin Leslie -- the New Zealand-born sons of former All Blacks captain Andy Leslie but qualified through their grandfather. jdg/lp/iwd
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