Andy Robinson will use All Blacks Test with England as yardstick

SCOTLAND coach Andy Robinson will finalise his starting line-up for the All Blacks, and his tactical approach for Scotland's opening autumn Test match, only after watching how Richie McCaw's side shape up against England on Saturday.

• Dan Parks and Mike Blair at training at the Old Course in St Andrews. Blair's form has pleased Andy Robinson and Parks will have a free weekend and thus be fresh to face New Zealand. Picture: Lynne Cameron/PA

New Zealand lost to Australia in Saturday's Bledisloe Cup match in Hong Kong, bringing an end to a run of straight wins at 15, and go into this weekend's game at Twickenham determined to recover and ignite a 'Grand Slam' bid of the UK and Ireland. Only three All Blacks squads have managed the feat, the 1978 team led by Graham Mourie, Tana Umaga's 2005 vintage and the McCaw-inspired side of 2008, many of whom are in the current squad and have the opportunity to join the small band of double 'Grand Slammers'.

New Zealand will sense critics looking out the old mantra of how they beat all-comers between World Cups and lose form in World Cup year, and Robinson is expecting a typical fiery backlash this weekend. What tweaks coach Graham Henry makes for the first match on UK soil will also play a part in how the Scotland coaches put the final touches to plans for a first victory in the fixture.

Robinson was speaking after concluding a three-day camp at St Andrews, where he stated himself to be comfortable with his players' fitness and his selection options.

"We've obviously done quite a bit of planning and you look at what happened in Hong Kong last week. What a fantastic game of rugby. But conditions are going to be slightly different and it will be interesting to see how New Zealand play over here in slightly different conditions, and that's why I'm really excited about Saturday's game," he said. "Are they able to play, or will England stop them? And what pace will they play at because last weekend was one of the fastest games I've seen. You're always looking at how the opposition plays and what aspects of the team they're playing against put them under pressure.

"It's very easy to say that (England face a backlash] because New Zealand are the kind of side that will hit back, in terms of the pride that they have. How often do New Zealand lose two games back-to-back? It's one of the points they make. So, it (this weekend's game] will have some effect.

"It's going to be another great game and that's the great thing about the autumn internationals.You have great games to go and watch."

In terms of who will be handed the jerseys this time around, and asked to do something no Scot before them has achieved, Robinson stated that the positions in which he was still to decide had reduced from three to one in the past few weeks, and that would also be clearer after the Twickenham clash.

"There is one position (where] I'm going to wait until after I watch the game at the weekend before making my decision," he said, without then giving any hint as to what it was.

When commenting on the strength of his squad, Robinson pointed to the second row and how he had four in-form locks in the shape of Richie Gray, Jim Hamilton, Nathan Hines and Scott MacLeod, which helped to offset the loss of captain Alastair Kellock. It could be that he is still swithering about that combination and whether he wants to go with the sheer bulk and experience of Hamilton and Hines, wants a sharp lineout operator in there to target what is a potential Kiwi weakness, or feels the time is right to unleash Gray on the Test arena from the start, after fine displays for Glasgow by the newcomer.

Allan Jacobsen, Ross Ford and Euan Murray, who the coach reaffirmed would be able to perform despite lacking match-time with Northampton this season, is the expected front-row unit and Kelly Brown, John Barclay and Richie Vernon appear a good back row bet.

Rory Lawson is on the Gloucester bench for their LV= Cup match at Newport tonight, along with Hamilton, while Alasdair Dickinson starts, but doubts over his recent hand break were quashed by Robinson yesterday, who said he was also happy that Dan Parks will not play for Cardiff this weekend and so turn up on Monday, when the squad reconvene, with no late fears over his foot injury flaring up.

If Glasgow pair Graeme Morrison and Max Evans take the centre berths, and the coach sticks with his Argentina winners Hugo Southwell at full-back and Sean Lamont on one wing, it would seem that Rory Lamont and Nikki Walker, who scored a hat-trick at Glasgow last week, are vying for the other flank.

Robinson stated that he expected all of his squad nursing knocks, which included Southwell and Rory Lamont, to be fit by Monday, but said if any failed to make the start of next week's training 100 per cent they would be discounted from the opening game.

What New Zealand team Scotland would face, he pointed out, he could not control, with the suspicion being that a number of front-line players will be rested at Murrayfield after the Twickenham clash - though probably, officially, "nursing knocks" - but the fact the tourists only have 29 players in their tour party means it will be a far stronger XV than that which played Scotland in the last meeting in 2008.Robinson is, however, pleased with how his squad is growing and the strength in depth being cultivated, noting that injured personnel such as Chris Cusiter, Simon Danielli, Al Kellock and Johnnie Beattie would have good competition when they returned to full fitness. He would never say it, but was probably pleased to avoid meeting the All Blacks in his first season in charge, but the timing is right now to face the world's best with a World Cup less than a year away, and to find out, and let the players grasp, how close they are to competing with the leading nations. It is also a good test of how far the coaches have taken the current crop of talent, and whether their style of play can impact at the highest level.

"I feel sorry for the players who are injured," he added, "but you just deal with it. The good thing is that there is a level of competition for places. Al Kellock has played really well for Scotland, but now we have four second rows who are in top form. Richie Gray has been outstanding for Glasgow this year; Jim Hamilton has turned in two or three very good performances recently, against Bath and against Leicester; Nathan Hines has been superb for Leinster in the past couple of weeks and Scott MacLeod has really stepped up for Edinburgh with his offloading, running and lineout game.

"It's similar at scrum-half. Rory Lawson came back last weekend and had a super game, which was great for a guy who has been out three or four weeks. Mike Blair has been playing really well too. On the wing, Sean Lamont has really stepped up in his performances and has been captain for the Scarlets, and Nikki has improved too, as he showed with his tries against Glasgow.

"Suddenly, we're getting players stepping up and fulfilling their potential. That's the great thing - there is some depth and there is real competition for places. That's what I'm pleased about.

"It's great for us. It will be really exciting now to see whether we're able to hit the ground running, able to back up what we did in Argentina and keep our momentum, and whether we're able to take on the best side in the world with the ball in hand and stop them from playing. It's a great challenge for us."