EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REVEALS

SCOTLAND could face an All Blacks side containing seven new caps when the teams line up at Murrayfield for the start of the Bank of Scotland Corporate Autumn Test series, it emerged today.

Props Ben Franks and Jamie Mackintosh, loose forwards Scott Waldrom, Kieran Read and Liam Messam and backs Hosea Gear and Cory Jane are in line to make their New Zealand debuts.

Before reaching Murrayfield, though, coach Graham Henry's team will play a groundbreaking Bledisloe Cup match this weekend against Australia in Hong Kong.

Matches with Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England follow on successive weekends, plus a midweek game against Munster.

Also included in the squad is lock Jason Eaton, who has forced his way back after last playing for the All Blacks in November 2006, while Joe Rokocoko has overcome wrist and hamstring injuries to make his return.

There are also recalls for lock Ross Filipo and hooker Corey Flynn. A notable omission is full back Leon MacDonald, who has been left behind after a recent bout of concussion.

Meanwhile, Scotland's preparations stepped up today when coach Frank Hadden led his squad off to a warm-weather training camp in Spain. Among those heading out is scrum-half Mark McMillan, who has been called up after injury ruled out Chris Cusiter and Rory Lawson.

It is an unexpected opportunity for the 25-year-old who, as a teenager at Edinburgh's Napier College, was earmarked for success with a scholarship award which saw him spend a season in Australia.

Now with Glasgow, McMillan, who made his debut for Stirling County against Heriot's FP aged 16, played for the Northern Suburbs Club in 2002.

Cusiter will miss the entire Autumn series, which also includes matches against South Africa and Canada due to a fractured thumb.

Meanwhile, Rory Lawson, who understudied captain Mike Blair on the summer tour to Argentina, suffered a rib cartilage injury playing for his club Gloucester against the Dragons at the weekend and will be seeing a specialist tomorrow.

Glasgow Warriors centre Graeme Morrison is also missing from the training camp.

New Zealand squad: Afoa (Auckland), Boric (North Harbour), Carter (Canterbury), Cowan (Southland), Donald (Waikato), Ellis (Canterbury), Eaton (Taranaki), Filipo (Wellington), Flynn (Canterbury), Franks (Tasman), Gear (Wellington), Hore (Taranaki), Jane (Wellington), Kahui (Waikato), Kaino (Auckland), R McCaw (Canterbury, captain), Mackintosh (Southland), Mealamu (Auckland), Messam (Waikato), Muliaina (Waikato), Nonu (Wellington), Read (Canterbury), Rokocoko (Auckland), Sivivatu (Waikato), Smith (Wellington), So'oialo (Wellington), Thomson (Otago), Thorn (Tasman), Tialata (Wellington), Toeava (Auckland), Tuitavake (North Harbour), Weepu (Wellington), Waldrom (Taranaki), Williams (Tasman), Woodcock (North Harbour).

This article was posted on 27-Oct-2008, 14:20 by Hugh Barrow.