Ross Rennie edges out John Barclay as Scotland reshuffle back row

Andy Robinson is not the type to admit to nightmares, but the Scotland coach says there is one thing that keeps him up at night and that is the back row of his scrum. Robinson is spoiled for choice and just two games away from the World Cup he is extending his options yet further. "I am a firm believer that competition brings the best out in players and I've said to the squad that it lies in their hands to make the case for their inclusion in the final 30 for New Zealand," said the former Bath and England coach before announcing that Ross Rennie would make his first Test start against Ireland on Saturday in the first of their two warm-up games. The 24-year-old has been picked as openside flanker, Robinson's old position, in a team which shows six changes – one of them positional – from the side which ended a disappointing Six Nations. Three of those are in the back row, where the Edinburgh flanker will play alongside Johnnie Beattie at No8 and Alasdair Strokosch on the blindside. Altogether Robinson has nine forwards in his squad who have played in the back row, but given that there is only one more Test to come before Scotland open their World Cup against Romania in Invercargill on 10 September, Rennie's late rush to the front of the queue for the No7 shirt can be seen as the culmination of a process which started when Robinson first coached at Edinburgh, but was delayed horribly by a knee injury that put Rennie out of the game for 18 months. Even last season he was only able to play every other Saturday, but Robinson clearly retained his faith in a player he hopes can do for Scotland what Robinson himself did for England. Clearly the coach was suggesting as much when he recently pointed to Rennie's performances while admitting the back row was an area that continued to give him sleepless nights. In particular he has to decide who will wear the No7 shirt – Rennie or John Barclay, whose talent emerged while Rennie was injured but who fails even to make the bench on Saturday. Other changes from the XV which beat Italy 21-8 in Scotland's only win of the Six Nations season sees Jim Hamilton starting at lock, while Graeme Morrison returns from injury at inside centre. Sean Lamont shifts to the wing at the expense of Simon Danielli. Two uncapped players have been named on the bench, 21-year-old David Denton, another back-rower to impress Robinson, and 23-year-old Bath full-back Jack Cuthbert. Robinson will name his 30-man party for New Zealand on 22 August. Scotland: Paterson (Edinburgh); Walker (Ospreys), Ansbro (London Irish), Morrison (Glasgow), S Lamont (Scarlets); Jackson (Glasgow), R Lawson (Gloucester); Jacobsen , Ford , Cross (all Edinburgh), Hamilton (Gloucester), Gray (Glasgow), Strokosch (Gloucester), Rennie (Edinburgh), Beattie (Glasgow). Replacements: Hall (Glasgow), Dickinson (Sale), Kellock (Glasgow), Denton (Edinburgh), Laidlaw , De Luca (both Edinburgh), Cuthbert (Bath).