Six Nations
Scotland recall de Luca
2010-03-09 16:17
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Cardiff - Scotland recalled Nick de Luca on Tuesday for this weekend's Six Nations clash against England here at Murrayfield as they looked to avoid a tournament whitewash by beating their oldest foes.
De Luca, 26, will play at outside centre in the only personnel change to the side beaten 16-12 by Italy in Rome last time out.
Max Evans moves to the left wing with Simon Danielli dropping to the bench.
De Luca, who will win his 16th cap this weekend, has not started for Scotland since the win over Canada at Pittodrie, the home ground of Aberdeen football club, in November 2008, although he did come off the bench in Rome.
Scotland captain and scrum-half Chris Cusiter has recovered from a virus while flanker John Barclay has overcome a knee injury.
But injuries have forced changes on the Scotland bench with Edinburgh scrum-half Mike Blair and Gloucester prop Alasdair Dickinson both ruled out after suffering concussion playing for their clubs last weekend.
Meanwhile flanker Alasdair Strokosch suffered a recurrence of an ankle injury.
In their places, Rory Lawson, Geoff Cross and Alan MacDonald have all been drafted onto the bench.
Saturday's Calcutta Cup match will be the first time Scotland's former England coach Andy Robinson has found himself up against his native country.
But Robinson, assistant to Clive Woodward when current England manager Martin Johnson was captaining the side to World Cup triumph in 2003, insisted Scotland were not far off from achieving that elusive first Six Nations win under his guidance.
"The team has played some good rugby and we have been creating chances," ex-England flanker Robinson said. "We just need to take that next step and finish off a game."
And of Evans, normally a centre, playing out of position on the wing, he added: "Max has been our most potent attacker and we also want to see Nick and the qualities that he can bring to this game." Scotland, for all their recent losses, have a habit of rousing themselves when England come to Edinburgh and have won both the last two Calcutta Cup clashes at Murrayfield in what is rugby union's oldest international fixture, dating back to 1871.
Scotland (15-1):
Hugo Southwell; Sean Lamont, Nick de Luca, Graeme Morrison, Max Evans; Dan Parks, Chris Cusiter (captain); Johnnie Beattie; John Barclay, Kelly Brown; Alastair Kellock, Jim Hamilton; Euan Murray, Ross Ford, Allan Jacobsen
Substitutes: Scott Lawson, Geoff Cross, Nathan Hines, Alan MacDonald, Rory Lawson, Phil Godman, Simon Danielli