JOHN Hardie, the openside flanker who has yet to play a competitive match since moving from New Zealand, will make his Scotland debut against Italy tomorrow as one of at least three new caps. Rory Hughes, the Glasgow winger, and Stuart McInally, the Edinburgh flanker, will also make their Test debuts in Turin. Two more uncapped Edinburgh players, the prop WP Nel and the back-three player Damien Hoyland, are on the bench.

Scotland v Italy: G Tonks; S Lamont, R Vernon, M Scott, R Hughes; D Weir, S Hidalgo-Clyne; G Reid, S McInally, M Cusack, R Gray, G Gilchrist, A Strokosch, J Hardie, A Ashe. Substitutes: R Ford, A Dickinson, W Nel, J Hamilton, H Watson, H Pyrgos, P Horne, D Hoyland.