Rugby: Focus on Beattie as No 8 aims to prove worth to full squad in 'A' match

It is almost as if the fixture has been arranged specially for the 14 times capped No 8, who is three matches back from injury, two of them at club level with Ayr. If Beattie comes through unscathed it is virtually guaranteed he will feature in the Scotland squad which opens the RBS Six Nations Championship away to France tomorrow week.

Elsewhere, loose head prop Jon Welsh could do himself a power of good since he will be directly up against one of professional rugby's heaviest players in the 20-and-a-half stone Munsterman Tony Buckley.

Hefin O'Hare stands out as the only non-Edinburgh back for a match in which no exiles can be chosen since the fixture falls outside the international window.

Greg Laidlaw maintains the strong Capital flavour by taking on the captaincy and there is much at stake for second row Scott Macleod, the only other member of the home starting line-up to figure in this season's Autumn Tests for Scotland.

Scotland A: Jim Thompson (Edinburgh), Hefin O'Hare (Glasgow Warriors), Ben Cairns (Edinburgh), John Houston (Edinburgh), Lee Jones (Edinburgh), David Blair (Edinburgh), Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh, captain); Jon Welsh (Glasgow Warriors), Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), Scott MacLeod (Edinburgh), Fraser McKenzie (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors), Johnnie Beattie (Glasgow Warriors), Alan MacDonald (Edinburgh). Subs: Fergus Thomson (Glasgow Warriors), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Roddy Grant (Edinburgh), Colin Gregor (Glasgow Warriors), Peter Murchie (Glasgow Warriors), Colin Shaw (Glasgow Warriors).