A SUMMER of revolution will turn into an autumn of consolidation as Scott Johnson, the interim head coach, climbs down from the giddy heights of creating 10 new caps in three games to a November schedule where he may get away without adding anybody to the tally of international players.

Which does not mean he will not be making changes; there will be as many as nine from the last Scotland side, the one that ran out against Italy at the end of the South Africa trip, as players who were unavailable then come back into the frame while players who were rock-solid picks in June are injured or unselectable four months later.

It is not all bad news, though. Four of those classed as unavailable in June were away with the British and Irish Lions. Stuart Hogg is still out of the picture with a broken bone in his wrist, but the other three, Ryan Grant, Sean Maitland and Richie Gray, come straight back into the side to account for a third of the changes in the team to face Japan on Saturday.

It's unfortunate that two of them, Maitland and Grant, have been identified as being among those present when there was a fracas in Glasgow last week that left Ally MacLay, a Glasgow Hawks player, injured. The investigation is bound to have disrupted their preparations but there is no indication that the distraction will have affected their places in the team.

For the rest, Johnson will have a number of the players who missed the summer tour, or were among the multitude to get injured during it, back again. That includes Ruaridh Jackson, who lasted just 38 minutes into the second match before damaging his shoulder and missing not just the rest of the game but the rest of the tour.

He is delighted to be back, feeling that at long last he has conquered the consistency problem that has plagued him most of his career. "My form's been solid," he said. "I have maybe played better games here and there but as a group of games, this is probably the best I have played consistently. I have kept a good base and now it is just a question of raising it each week.

"It was frustrating to miss the last game in South Africa, a difficult way to end my tour, but I am excited about the chance of getting involved this weekend and pushing on from there. Japan will be tough, though, they are a dangerous team who like to run the ball.

"They are the weakest of the three we are playing, but we can't go into the match thinking they are a push­over. They beat Wales and it was tight in the other game. They have played a fair amount this season already. We can't take them lightly or we will be in for a shock, especially after what happened last year against Tonga."

Jackson will be among familiar faces, with Greig Laidlaw inside him at scrum-half and Matt Scott, another player aiming to make the transformation from promising newcomer to solid, dependable leader, outside him in the centre.

It's an important series for Scott, who is now firmly established in the team but has been challenged by Johnson to start exerting the same level of influence on the Scotland side that a player like Ma'a Nonu manages to produce for the All Blacks.

"It is definitely something that I have taken on board," he said. "I am trying to do more talking to the players around me, communicating more and taking more responsibility. It was mentioned in the summer and Scott [Johnson] has reminded me again, so it is something that I am definitely looking to do."

His problem is that after missing the first month of the season with an ankle problem, he feels a little undercooked stepping up to the Test environment. There have been no indications of that in his club form, however, and he does have the confidence of Edinburgh having won three of their last four games after a sticky start to the season.

"I probably still feel a little underdone in terms of match preparation," he admitted. "I have only played two full games, which is not ideal, but I am feeling good about myself and delighted to be given the chance. After my injury I was thinking that maybe I would have to make do with missing out. It was good to get the call."

The bulk of the pack pretty much picks itself, though with four locks and only three spots in the squad, one will miss out. Jim Hamilton did not train last week with a calf problem, so it may be him. David Denton looks likely to switch from flanker to No.8 - Johnnie Beattie has been injured -allowing Kelly Brown back in on one flank.

While it looks likely that John Barclay, who underlined his form with the winning try for Scarlets at the weekend, will take the other flanker spot, Johnson may see the game as a chance to blood Blair Cowan, the half-Scottish London-Irish flanker he unveiled a fortnight ago. If he does, it is likely to be off the bench.