IF ever there was a player with double motivation to make sure he turns in a winning performance it is Peter Horne, who has been recalled to the Scotland team to face Japan tomorrow, and admits that if they don't win he could still be down in the dumps when he heads for his wedding next month.

Horne is one of those who takes the result to heart and to fail in the final game of the season will leave him feeling it all through the summer break. "It will break me, mate, I hate losing. Absolutely hate it," he said as he celebrated his recall.

"I don’t want to even contemplate it. All I am thinking about is getting that positive result. It would ruin my summer if we lost.

"I am sure that is the view of the whole collective group. It will be no easy feat as they are playing in front of their Emperor [Akihito], playing in front of a big crowd in Tokyo. We have to make sure we are on it from the first minute. It will be a cracking test match and I am looking forward to the challenge."

Horne is part of a new-look midfield as Vern Cotter, the Scotland head coach, is forced to ring the changes between the Tests, with two players back in the UK after being injured and three more in no fit state to play at their peak with their efforts in the first Test coming at the end of a long, hard season.

The main casualty of that is Greig Laidlaw, the captain, who played the entire 80 minutes and ran himself to a standstill as one of a number of Scottish players set new marks for the distance they had covered during the game. Resting him means that Henry Pyrgos gets his first chance since last September to replace him not only as scrum half and as captain but taking over the goalkicking duties as well.

"Greig [Laidlaw] has had a very big season, so he passes responsibility for running hte game over to Henry [Pyrgos]," said Cotter. "It’s a great opportunity for Henry and he is very excited. With Pyrgos and Horne coming in we’ll have a different profile. Peter can kick off his left foot so we may be able to mix things up and keep them on their toes.

"Recovery has been very important this week and we had a few injuries that had an effect. WP [Nel] couldn’t train early on in the week so it is a great opportunity for a new front row to start. Rory [Sutherland] gets a start with Stuart [McInally], who I thought put in a good shift, and Moray Low.

"Hards [John Hardie, the flanker] has had a long season and drops to the bench to give Josh Strauss a start at six. John Barclay [who shifts to openside] and Ryan [Wilson] continue."

Cotter has no doubt that Pyrgos is up to the task of jumping straight in to three high profile roles as captain, playmaker and points scorer despite having missed most of the Six Nations with a wrist injury and not having started a game since the World Cup.

"He has been very patient," said Cotter. "He has always had a leadership role behind Greig within the group. It is good for everybody to take responsibility for their roles in the game. He will have to count on everybody doing their jobs well.

"Henry [Pyrgos] will showcase his skill set. He takes responsibility and leadership squarely and seriously. He’ll be doing his best to make sure the team move round the paddock in the right way and make he right choices. It is exciting for him."

Pyrgos himself seemed pretty laid back about the prospect. As he pointed out, he came through as a goalkicking scrum half and though chances to show his capabilities have been few and far between, even at club level, he still practices enthusiastically for openings exactly like this.

"I did a little bit last season and I kicked a few times in other games for Glasgow. There were times when I would have done it for Scotland, but the chances didn’t arise," he said. "It’s something I’m used to, I did it a lot growing up. I had a few issues with my groin so there have been times when I’ve had to step back a bit but I’m feeling good and striking it well at the moment. I’m looking forward to it.

"As a scrum-half you kick a lot in open play anyway, maybe even more than the 10 sometimes. I enjoy it and feel that it is a strong part of my game."

As for leadership, that also seems to come naturally: "Being captain does bring a slightly different element, there are things you have to think about," he accepted. "If you are not captain, you just think about your own role. I have had a few opportunities with Glasgow and a few times with Scotland so it is something I have grown into and enjoy.

"First and foremost in the end we have to go out and play well so that is my main focus, do that well and hope the team put in a good performance and then it becomes an easier job.

"I feel I am quite a calm relaxed guy and tend to bring that out when I am captain. There are other guys in the squad to get themselves going, get the squad going. I feel I say the right things at the right times but you try to use the guys around you to do what they do as well. I will look to other people to do certain things in the build-up to the game."

The changes are evenly split between backs and forwards, with Horne replacing Duncan Taylor, one of those back in the UK after tearing a hamstring, while Sean Maitland comes in for his first start since the opening game of the Six Nations, replacing Damien Hoyland.

If the game goes according to plan, expect to see Huw Jones, the centre from the Stormers in Cape Town, South Africa, given his debut off the bench.

As for Japan, they have tried to stick to the side that did reasonably well last week with only two changes. At full back, injury gives Rikya Matsuda, who gave away the penalty try as a replacement in the first match, a chance to start, while Male Sa'u, the wing, has recovered from injury to take his place in the team.