With his statuesque figure, those great, glowering eyebrows and that Desperate Dan jawline of his, Kelly Brown is not exactly Central Casting's idea of what a childminder should look like.

Yet the towering Saracens flanker might feel he has been thrust into that improbable role at Durban's Kings Park on Saturday when the Scotland side he leads out to face Samoa in the opening match of the Castle Test Series will boast three three uncapped players in the starting line-up and another three newcomers on the bench as well.

Brown and his fellow players were swimming with sharks in the Indian Ocean yesterday but the Scotland debutants will know they have entered the lion's den of international rugby in King's Park, one of the most intensely atmospheric venues in the global game. In which light, it's just as well that Brown, the most unlikely Mary Poppins, has faith in his young charges as they take their bows in the cauldron of Test rugby for the first time.

The wide-eyed innocents in the matchday squad are full-back Greig Tonks, centre Alex Dunbar and hooker Pat MacArthur, all of whom will be on from the start, with utility back Peter Horne, winger Duncan Taylor and hooker Steve Lawrie providing cover from the bench. "I will speak to the guys as and when I feel I should," said Brown, whose own veteran status is reinfoced by the fact he will turn 31 on the day of the game. "We have a strong core of experienced guys who can all play a part in looking after these guys. But I have already been watching the new caps over the past year and they are all very good players who are more than up to it."

It is not so long since games against Pacific nations sides provided the ideal opportunities for blooding new players, a chance to give them a relatively gentle introduction to the Test scene.

That all changed when Samoa – or Western Samoa as they were then – scored their historic victory over Wales in the 1991 World Cup. Scotland may never have lost to Samoa in a full Test, but as Samoa's seventh place in the IRB world rankings is three higher than Scotland, it would be rash to think of the Scots as favourites.

"The last time I played against them was up in Aberdeen [in 2010] and we won," said the captain. "But it was the last kick of the game. We know it will be incredibly tough. But we are incredibly upbeat and looking forward to it. We know we have beaten them in the past and that can only be a good thing. In saying that every time the whistle goes it is a fresh start and we have to go out there and do it all again.

"These island nations are getting stronger and stronger. If you look at the list of scalps they have taken over the past five or 10 years it shows that they realy tough opponents. If you also look at the size and shapes of their guys, it's obvious that Samoa is a nation born to make rugby players.

"But our motivation on Saturday is as it always is – to play well and to make Scotland proud. It is the same every time. We are expecting a tough match but we will go out there and look to impose our game on them. I don't see why we can't do well."

While Brown is keeping one eye on the uncapped players in his side, a more significant issue of experience may centre on the role of Tom Heathcote at fly-half, who at least has one international appearance to his name already.

Last November, Heathcote made one of the more bizarre Test debuts in rugby history. Unheard of at the start of the last week of the autumn series, Heathcote ended it as a full international player after being fast-tracked into the side and given a 10-minute cameo in the side that played Tonga in order to cement his affiliation to Scotland.

Heathcote has had a solid season for Bath, however, and Brown is convinced he has what it takes to be an international playmaker.

"I played against him in the last Premiership game, between Bath and Saracens," Brown said. "He is a very strong player with all the skills. In the autumn we only saw a tiny bit of him. I want to see more of him.

"Everything I have seen is exciting. He strikes me as the sort of player who will flourish in the international environment. He is cool as a cucumber. He is very chilled and I have no doubt he will do well on Saturday."

There is always the risk, of course, of new players trying too hard in a bid to impress, but Brown said he was comfortable with the scenario.

"It is always like that," he shrugged. "Everyone wants to do their best. There are nine uncapped players in the squad as a whole. That's nine excited guys and it's great to have that."