As they reconvened at Murrayfield yesterday to begin their preparations for Saturday's bid to salvage their RBS 6 Nations Championship campaign, the Scotland squad were given a boost by the late appearance of Max Evans.

The wing/centre worked separately from the main group, not because of his tardiness as a result of being in court where he was cleared of an assault yesterday, but due to his ongoing recovery from the ankle problem that forced him out of last month's match with France.

One of the most popular figures in the camp, blessed with infectious enthusiasm, the 28-year-old's appearance as a free man can only have been good for the morale of a squad who are having to regroup after three championship losses and five successive defeats in all.

Evans was not alone, however, in being unable to take full part in training. Three members of the starting XV against France – Greig Laidlaw, who suffered concussion during that match, as well as his half-back partner Mike Blair and flanker John Barclay, both of whom suffered dead legs – also continue to require treatment but all three were described as having made "good progress".

Three more who were on the bench for that last Test picked up fresh injuries at the weekend with Ed Kalman requiring stitches above his eye and Dougie Hall, his Glasgow Warriors front-row colleague, being treated for shoulder bruising suffered during their win against the Ospreys. Their former clubmate Richie Vernon also picked up a shoulder injury during Sale Sharks' thrashing at Exeter.

Vernon's condition would appear to be offering the greatest cause for concern since Stuart McInally, the similarly versatile Edinburgh back-row, was asked to join the squad even though he was unable to train because of a hamstring injury.

Others brought in to supplement the 22 on duty against France were McInally's Edinburgh clubmate Matt Scott plus Glasgow trio Rob Harley, Ruaridh Jackson, Jon Welsh and Euan Murray.

Along with Ross Ford, Scotland's captain, Murray, who is carrying a mild calf strain, also worked separately from the bulk of the squad as part of "routine player management".

With Scotland again experiencing scrummaging problems in his absence, the Newcastle prop is all but certain to return to the starting XV now that the Sunday fixtures which he refuses to play in, are out of the way for this season.

Otherwise the only other change to the team that started and, at least in part, performed in promising fashion for much of that game, is likely to be enforced by the absence of Rory Lamont who has undergone surgery on a broken leg.

If Evans can now prove his fitness, he could return directly to the starting XV in the wing position he occupied against England and Wales, however, whether he should may be affected both by the way the reshuffled back-line performed against France and by the nature of Saturday's opposition.

Bringing him in as a direct replacement for the younger Lamont would mean Scotland fielding what, by modern standards, would be a small back three since all of Evans, Lee Jones or Stuart Hogg, are sub six footers.

Up against a daunting Irish trio – where Rob Kearney is peerless within the European game under the high ball at 6ft 1in, Tommy Bowe, scorer of five tries already in this championship, is two inches taller and another six- footer Andrew Trimble is also strong in the air – that formation would be an open invitation to Jonathan Sexton to launch bombs.

What the management also have to consider is that Nick De Luca played by far his best game of the championship when he came on at centre against France, allowing Sean Lamont to return to his best position on the wing where his considerable physical presence replaced that of his brother.

The decision may, then, be a choice between De Luca and Evans at outside centre and, for all that he won most of his early caps there, that may be a verdict that goes against the Castres man since he has played there relatively rarely for club and country in recent times.

Either way there should be little change to the gameplan since, for all that Ireland's natural style is to play a similarly sustained high tempo game to the Scots, Saturday's hosts' lack of recovery time from Sunday's rescheduled meeting with France is something the visitors must seek to exploit.

That Ireland have also had to travel back from Paris, slightly deflated after failing to turn a 17-6 half-time lead into a win and having minimal recovery time from what was a bruising battle, should also reduce the benefit of home advantage.

Scotland (probable) S Hogg; S Lamont, N De Luca, G Morrison, L Jones; G Laidlaw, M Blair; A Jacobsen, R Ford capt, E Murray, R Gray, J Hamilton, J Barclay, R Rennie, D Denton