SCOTLAND begin their series of three Tests on consecutive weekends at Murrayfield with a match against the United States today. The Scots are determined to eliminate the autumn blues of recent seasons when record defeats against the major nations have become the norm.

It is tempting to assume that McGeechan will use today's game to experiment but yesterday he dismissed that suggestion. "It has to be a game in its own right," he said. "International rugby is about now. It will be a test of the new captain Budge Pountney's leadership qualities and, more crucially, of MeGeechan's selection of three young players, Jon Steel and Alan Bulloch in the backs and Simon Taylor in the back row. The Eagles, with a single new cap in the prop Paul Still, will provide the competitive environment in which Scotland's three debutants can measure themselves.