greig Laidlaw believes that bonus points are likely to play a critical part in the outcome of the inaugural Castle Lager Test Series over the next three weekends.

Results over the first two weekends will determine the fixture schedule on the last day. Then, the top two teams will play off against each other, as will the third and fourth-placed sides, to decide the final standings.

With such a tight format, Laidlaw acknowledged that bonus points are likely to carry far more significance than they would have over the course of a regular club season.

"In a small tournament, getting a bonus point could be handy, or it could come back to haunt you if you don't. If we get opportunities, we will be looking to cross the line.

With only two games to decide whether you are in the top or second tier, they could be really important."

Matches against Samoa in recent years have been tight, with Scotland needing late kicks to claim victories in the last two. It fell to Laidlaw to clinch the last win, in Apia a year ago, when he calmly slotted the conversion of Rob Harley's 78th minute try to see Scotland home.

"That one was pretty easy, to be honest," he recalled modestly. "I was glad it was near the posts, pretty much in line with the left post. It was a big team effort that day and we will need that kind of effort again this weekend against a very good team."

While Laidlaw is now established in his favoured position of scrum-half, he agreed that the year he spent playing international rugby at fly-half had given him a useful insight into the challenges of being a team's primary decision-maker.

"It definitely give me a much better understanding of the pressures a Test match brings to the 10," he said. "My time there has definitely helped me and I now like to help them out as best I can.

"For instance, if the ball is slow, I'll probably not ship it to the 10 so much as in the past. I'll take it on myself or use the forwards to regenerate. With slow ball, if you have a blitz defence coming at you, it is not a very fun place to be."

However, Laidlaw backed up team captain Kelly Brown when he offered a vote of confidence to Tom Heathcote, the Bath playmaker who will start a Test for the first time.

"I maybe feel a bit more responsibility with this being Tom's first start," Laidlaw suggested. "But he has looked good in training and that's why he's here. I'm sure he will be fine but if I can take the pressure off him, I'll certainly be looking to do that. With Greig Tonks, who has a good left peg, in there as well, we can share the kicking duties between us."