Four get call but Andy Robinson delays choice of captain

ANDY Robinson has named four uncapped players in a squad of 34 for his first crack at gaining Scotland's maiden victory over New Zealand and insisted yesterday that they all had a chance of making the matchday 22.

But, with recent captains Alastair Kellock and Chris Cusiter out through injury, he has delayed a decision on who will take over for the Autumn Test against the All Blacks, the only nation in world rugby that Scotland have played but never defeated. Rory Lawson, the Gloucester scrum-half currently recovering from a hand injury, Edinburgh No9 Mike Blair and flanker John Barclay, the Glasgow skipper, are the front-runners.

Robinson did say: "The captain will come from the leadership group that we have, John Barclay, Kelly Brown, Ross Ford, Mike Blair and Rory Lawson. When I name the team the captain will be named, but we have a strong leadership group, something we've been working to develop, and all five could very much captain Scotland. It will be down to who starts."

The squad is only for the New Zealand game on 13 November and Robinson will consider changes for the South Africa Test a week later to accommodate players such as the injured Kellock and Simon Danielli and those simply not selected, including Jason White and Allister Hogg.

Dan Parks should recover from a foot injury in time for the All Blacks game but Glasgow's Ruaridh Jackson is the only other recognised fly-half and is in line to make his Test debut off the bench. The other uncapped players are Edinburgh pair Jim Thompson and Greig Laidlaw and Northampton's Joe Ansbro.

Ross Rennie, the Edinburgh flanker who has spent more than two years battling injury since his Test debut against Ireland, is also included.