THE big beasts of ­international rugby will be taking on Scotland at Murrayfield over the next few weeks.

But the Springboks of South Africa and the Australian Wallabies pose less of a concern to stadium officials than a tiny creature that has taken up residence in their pitch.

Perplexed by the ­condition of a playing surface that used to be renowned as one of the best in the world, Murrayfield chiefs called in experts who diagnosed the problem as an infestation of miniscule worms.

Ground staff have since been waging a turf war against the plant-eating nematodes, which wreak havoc on healthy grass by burrowing into its roots. The worms - a different species to those which attack slugs and leather jackets - are frustratingly resilient, but they do have one fatal flaw.

Just like vampires, they have a loathing of garlic, so Murrayfield ground staff have been making life uncomfortable for the invaders by spraying a solution of the food produce over the pitch at regular intervals.

Sources at the stadium have suggested that the whiff of garlic might be detected by more sensitive nostrils in the crowd when Scotland open their autumn international Test series against Japan on Saturday.

However, Mark Laidlaw, the Scottish Rugby Union's director of management services, said that they were determined to rid the place of its unwanted guests.

Mr Laidlaw said: "We've worked with some of the leading experts in this area to examine and treat one of the best surfaces in world rugby using natural remedies, but it takes a number of weeks to eradicate the problem. The ground staff will continue their efforts to develop and consolidate the root structure, and hope to return the pitch to the standard we all expect to see at the national stadium."