Andy Robinson picks nine Glasgow men for opener

FORM has counted in Andy Robinson's first RBS Six Nations selection as Scotland coach and swung heavily in favour of the Glasgow Warriors professional team.

His first Scotland line-up, to face Fiji in November, featured six Glasgow players; the same side started in the famous win over Australia; and that number dropped by one for the last outing of the series which ended in defeat to Argentina. But yesterday he took the wraps off a new-look side reliant on a spine of nine men from the west propping up the starting XV.

Robinson has long stated that form is an integral part of his selection process, if not the only concern – Glasgow did suffer a horrible collapse in Biarritz in their last outing – but the fact that Glasgow lead the Magners League has been recognised.

The coach insisted, however, that even though he had opted for five Glasgow forwards, including the back row of Kelly Brown, John Barclay and Johnnie Beattie, and centre pairing of Graeme Morrison and Max Evans, keeping units together came lower down the pecking order than choosing the individuals that he felt were up to the stiff challenge of beating tournament favourites France at Murrayfield on Sunday.

"You look at combinations and assess how players will work together," he said, "but we're playing international rugby so you can't just take a Glasgow team.

"I'm pleased with the way Glasgow and Edinburgh have been improving, but this is about an international team and all the players will have to improve on how they've been playing at club level, wherever they play. That's the step up that international rugby is. And everybody has got to step up."

SIX NATIONS TEAM GUIDES:

Scotland

England

France

Ireland

Italy

Wales