Scotland coach Ian McGeechan has named three new caps in his side to face Romania at Murrayfield on Saturday in the first of the Scots' three-match Test series.
They are 25-year-old full back Stuart Moffat, 20-year-old winger Nikki Walker and 22-year-old prop Bruce Douglas. McGeechan also handed winger Gordon Ross the chance to stake his claim for a place against South Africa a week later.
SCOTLAND: S Moffat (Glasgow Rugby), N Walker (The Borders), A Craig (Orrell), B Laney (Edinburgh Rugby), C Paterson (Edinburgh Rugby), G Ross (Leeds Tykes), B Redpath (Sale Sharks) capt, T Smith (Northampton Saints), G Bulloch (Glasgow Rugby), B Douglas (The Borders), S Murray (Edinburgh Rugby), S Grimes (Newcastle Falcons), M Leslie (Edinburgh Rugby), S Taylor (Edinburgh Rugby), B Pountney (Northampton Saints).
Replacements: S Scott (The Borders), M Stewart (Northampton Saints), N Hines (Edinburgh Rugby), J Petrie (Glasgow Rugby), G Beveridge (Glasgow Rugby), G Townsend (The Borders), B Hinshelwood (Worcester).
COLOURS MATCH: Dublin University will try to prevent UCD from making it seven consecutive wins in the 51st Colours match at Donnybrook tomorrow evening. A specially designed trophy, similar to the British Open's Claret Jug, will be presented to the winning captain, either Trinity outhalf Donal Crotty or UCD hooker David Blaney.
Full back Darren McKenna, wing Alex Cahill, centre Niall Kearns, blindside Dermot Blaney and openside Louis Burke for UCD and Trinity wings Eugene Gamble and Andrew Murphy, centre Brian Hastings and number eight Jamie Heaslip will all receive their first colours.
SPORTS BOOKS: In a rich year for Irish footballing literature one book, Niall Quinn Head First written by Tom Humphries of The Irish Times, has been shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.
Others include Tom Parks's A Season With Verona and two autobiographies that have the unusual distinction of being written by their subjects, Michael Atherton's Opening Up and Ellen McArthur's Taking on the World.
Donald McRae, who won the prize in 1996 with Dark Trade, is again on the list with In Black And White, a study of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens. The winner will be announced on November 25th.
GOLF: Denmark will stage its first European Tour event next year when the Nordic Open makes its debut on the schedule. The Nordic Open, which will offer a prize fund of €1.6 million, will take place at Simon's Golf Club near Copenhagen from August 7th-10th.
RUGBY: Swansea were yesterday fined £2,000 and handed a suspended two-point deduction for "negligently" fielding two ineligible players, Gavin Henson and Dean Thomas, in the Heineken European Cup game against Montferrand on October 12th after both had been red-carded in a Celtic League fixture with Llanelli the previous week.
RACING: Australian jockey Damien Oliver was joined by hundreds of other mourners at the funeral of his brother and fellow rider Jason yesterday, just 24 hours after winning the Melbourne Cup.
Jason Oliver (33) died on October 29th of massive injuries suffered in a riding fall the day before.
