Having represented his country in places as far afield as South Africa, Canada and Argentina, Peter Horne will tomorrow fulfil his long-cherished ambition when he makes his first appearance for Scotland at BT Murrayfield.

In the wake of Finn Russell's two-week ban being upheld be a Six Nations appeal committee, Horne has been given the nod as Scotland's starting fly-half against Italy. Coach Vern Cotter had a number of alternatives available, but he clearly felt that drafting Horne was the least disruptive option.

Horne is one of four changes Cotter has made to the team that started against Wales almost a fortnight ago. In the front row, prop Euan Murray, who missed the Welsh game for reasons of religious observance, comes back in for Geoff Cross. Tim Swinson takes over at lock from Richie Gray, whose arm injury is now expected to keep him out for the rest of the season, while Tommy Seymour returns on the wing at Tim Visser's expense.

There are two uncapped players on the bench: lock Ben Tollis and flanker Hamish Watson, both of Edinburgh.

Of Horne's selection, Cotter said: "It was a tough call. We had to wait unit Wednesday to discover if Finn was going to be available but his suspension was maintained. We have trained all three players [Russell, Horne and Greig Tonks] earlier in the week, but Peter gets the nod due to his last two performances with Glasgow."

Cotter also admitted that Horne's familiarity with the players around him - all but one of the seven backs are Glasgow Warriors - was also a factor in his choice.

While the six-times-capped Horne is unquestionably a stopgap selection at the moment, Cotter said that player now has the opportunity to cement his place in the side ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

"This is a big year of rugby and Peter knows it's going to be an important game for him and for us," said the coach. "Without applying too much pressure on him, he knows that. He's played well in the last two outings for Glasgow and he controlled play well. He offers another profile and we are all backing him."

Cotter refused to make any comment about Russell's unsuccessful appeal. However, Murrayfield sources have suggested that he is furious at the intransigence of the discipline tribunal. It is also understood that strong representations will be made by the Scottish Rugby Union to their World Rugby counterparts over the strict application of the law concerning challenges on players off the ground that most observers now consider anomalous.

Scotland are strong favourites to beat the Italians, but Cotter warned that nothing could be taken for granted. "They scored three tries against the English at Twickenham," he said. "These things did not go unnoticed. We are preparing very seriously for the game."