Lineen: our loss will be Scotland's gain

Both were in the RBS 6 Nations Championship training squad and as Sean Lineen, their coach at Glasgow, noted while planning for their vital RaboDirect Pro12 meeting with the Scarlets in the knowledge he would almost certainly be without them, they look ready to step up.

"They've put their hands up in the Scotland A game and put their hands up for Glasgow," he said. "They've played really well. It's great to have young players really deliver and having that enthusiasm and youth. We'll see what happens."

Weir's inclusion in the starting XV alongside Chris Cusiter, his Warriors half-back partner is one option while the populist decision would be to install Greig Laidlaw, Edinburgh's captain, at stand-off with his regular partner Mike Blair.

Weir was man of the match and scored a classy solo try in the Scotland A team's stunning 35-0 win over England Saxons on Friday. Like Hogg, who registered an even more impressive touchdown in that match with a 60-metre run that left a trail of defenders in his wake, his confidence will be oozing.

While it will be the last consideration of a man who is interested only in winning, Andy Robinson, Scotland's head coach and his management team could take considerable pressure off themselves by throwing in the youngsters, knowing that to do so would reduce immediate expectations. Looking beyond this weekend, Scotland's options also look to be improving for the rest of the championship with Ruaridh Jackson, the first-choice stand-off at the World Cup finally having shaken off a troublesome hamstring injury.

The 23-year-old admitted to deep frustration at having to watch from the stands as Scotland threw away the chance and is itching not only to play but to put in successive starts for the first time since the World Cup.

"Key for me is trying to get through this first game," he said. "If I can survive that, it will be a big plus and, hopefully, my form will be such that I'm back in the selectors' eyes.

"After that, if I get another chance against Connacht the following week, it'll be great for me to get a run of games for the first time in a while."

Jackson agreed that having been preferred to Dan Parks during the World Cup it might have been better for his prospects of an early return to the Scotland team had his former mentor turned understudy held down the position in his absence.

"I guess in hindsight that would maybe have been the best thing for me," he said. "It's just one of these things. The frustrating thing for me is that all these guys are getting their chances and playing well when I've been sitting back and not able to do anything. When they get those chances they are going to be desperate to take them and they have done, which is credit to them. There's nothing I can do about that."

Lineen, whose side are facing a crucial month containing four matches without their leading international players as they bid to reach the PRO12 play-offs, meanwhile admitted that the timing of this week's match could hardly have been worse.

"A Thursday night game is a bit of a nightmare for us," he said. "If it was a Friday or Saturday it would have been great but we can't name the team without knowing whether players are going to come back to us or not. It's not as though we're getting new players back though. They know the score."

Jackson will be partnered at half-back by Henry Pyrgos who has agreed a new contract that will keep him at the club to 2014.

squad

Glasgow warriors (v Scarlets, RaboDirect PRO12, Firhill, tomorrow, 7.05)

Backs: David Lemi, Peter Murchie, Tommy Seymour, Colin Shaw, Alex Dunbar, James Johnstone, Troy Nathan, Ruaridh Jackson, Scott Wight, Murray McConnell, Henry Pyrgos

Forwards: Alan Dymock, Ryan Grant, Gordon Reid, George Hunter, Pat MacArthur, Fergus Thomson, Nick Campbell, Rob McAlpine, Tom Ryder, Rob Verbakel, Chris Fusaro, Calum Forrester, Ryan Wilson