Dixon said Scotland has a "game under their belt," a 34-24 win over Romania on Saturday, "and we are coming in cold. So it's really up to us to make sure that we hit the ground running." The former Scotland test player might have been correct in his count of early matches in Pool B. But Scotland's starting XV on Wednesday announced by England-born coach Andy Robinson contains only four players who started against Romania on the weekend.

Advantage, maybe not, Scotland.

Robinson claimed that the selection changes resulted more from the four-day turnaround in matches than any serious disappointment with the squad that trailed Romania by three points with 10 minutes to go before the favorites scored two late tries.

The Scotland captain against Georgia will be scrumhalf Rory Lawson, who has been skipper three times in the past year and has a 100 percent winning record — test wins over South Africa, Samoa and Ireland. Regular Scotland captain Alastair Kellock will sit out Wednesday's match.

Of the four starters retained for Scotland, two switch positions with Sean Lamont moving from center to wing and Kelly Brown moving from flanker to No. 8.

Chris Paterson, the first player to represent Scotland at four World Cup tournaments and who has scored 800 points in test rugby, drops to the bench.

Robinson admitted Scotland's defense needs improvement.

"We did some good things, but we simply cannot concede 24 points," he said. "We expect a tough match against Georgia, even tougher than Romania." On Tuesday after Scotland's captain's run, attack coach Gregor Townsend said they expect a torrid match up front from Georgia.

"They play at pace, they love to run hard onto the ball, they love scummaging, tackling," Townsend said. "But they have skillful players as well, and this is their stage to prove they belong up there with the best." The match is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m start Wednesday, which could be frigid for the players and fans. It might be officially spring in the southern hemisphere, but it's decidedly still wintry in New Zealand's southernmost city, where the forecast is for cold temperatures and steady rain or sleet and maybe even snow over the next two days.
 
 

 


The giant lock is the harbinger of far better times for the team, because their forwards have been pushed around for far too long. He is a clever lineout man and can also hit with a rare clatter in the loose


We will never know how often in private he tries to tear out the remainder of his hair and  it is not being disrespectful to say that his talents probably deserve a better team. Can he inspire Scotland to the quarter-finals?

They can beat you if only they can find a way of scoring at least one try each match, to add to their penalties

You can beat them by striking out for early scores, because to get 10 points ahead immediately puts you beyond their reach