Scotland opt for rookies in midfield

Scotland coach Frank Hadden is not concerned about pairing two rookies together in Scotland's vital midfield channel for Saturday…

Scotland coach Frank Hadden is not concerned about pairing two rookies together in Scotland's vital midfield channel for Saturday's match against Romania.

Rob Dewey will make his international debut at inside-centre alongside Phil Godman at stand-off, who has three caps as a replacement but is making his first start at this level.

Hadden believes the Edinburgh duo will benefit from having more experienced club-mates such as Mike Blair, Marcus Di Rollo and Hugo Southwell playing next to them in Scotland's backline.

"It's not necessarily ideal having guys playing their first caps alongside each other so I've surrounded them with familiar faces and, hopefully, that will make it easier for them," said Hadden.

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"Pairing them together was something that we talked long and hard about because it's a tough ask but they know each other at club level and I think the balance of the side should make it a little easier for them.

"One of the first considerations was whether I was going to have a look at these players. Then, having decided that was what I was going to do, it was about how to get the best out of them and how to give them the opportunity to show what they are capable of.

"That was one of the key factors I took into consideration when selecting the backline."

While most of the focus during the build-up to this match is bound to focus on Dewey and his fellow debutant Johnnie Beattie, Hadden found time to discuss his confidence in Godman, the man charged with running the game from stand-off.

Godman won his first cap as a late replacement against the same opposition during the summer of 2005, also coming off the bench against Samoa and New Zealand in last season's November internationals.

Hadden is confident the 24-year-old is capable of taking charge from the beginning.

"One of the key ingredients at stand-off is temperament, you have to be able to cope with so many things that are all going on at once," said the Scotland coach.

"Phil continually proves that he has got to the bottle to do that. It's not going to be perfect, it never is, but it's about how you cope when things don't go quite right.

"I can think of some players who will dig a hole and jump in it every time they make a mistake but Phil is not that sort of player.

"He gets on with the game and the rest of the side has confidence in his ability to deal with whatever is put in front of him.

"I personally think Phil is one of the best handlers in the game and everyone enjoys playing alongside him because he can bring attacking strengths out of players that some guys can't.

"His ability to accelerate on to the ball, catch it with two hands, and offload it accurately is second to none.

"When Phil Godman comes to town the other team knows to wear their shoulder pads because they're going to have a lot of tackling to do."

Hadden dismissed the suggestion Godman's value as a handler is offset by the deficiencies in his kicking game.

"His kicking game has improved significantly. For me it's a typically Scottish approach to look at people's weaknesses rather than their strengths. Phil is going to bring a huge amount to the table," he added.

"I'm not really concerned by his kicking because if you look at the accuracy of what he's doing just now it's pretty impressive.

"We tend to compare him with people like Duncan Hodge, who has one of the longest punts in the world of rugby, and that's maybe an unfair comparison.

"I'm comfortable with the quality of his kicking. Perhaps, as he matures his decision-making will become sharper and knowing when to kick will become sharper, and that's one of the reasons why he's getting the opportunity to play, to see how he performs when the tempo is higher and the intensity greater.

Scotland: H Southwell (Edinburgh); S Webster (Edinburgh), M Di Rollo (Edinburgh), R Dewey (Edinburgh), S Lamont (Northampton Saints); P Godman (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh); G Kerr (Border Reivers), D Hall (Edinburgh), E Murray (Glasgow Warriors), N Hines (Perpignan), S Murray (Edinburgh) J White (Sale Sharks, capt), J Beattie (Glasgow Warriors), K Brown (Border Reivers).

Replacements: S Lawson (Glasgow Warriors), A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), C Smith (Edinburgh), J Hamilton (Leicester Tigers), D Callam (Edinburgh), C Cusiter (Border Reivers), C Paterson (Edinburgh).