ALASDAIR REID IN THE HERALD

Barely two years on from being ditched by Edinburgh on medical grounds, Fraser Brown is in line to make his international debut today after being added to the Scotland bench for this afternoon's match with South Africa in Nelspruit.

Hooker Brown, 23, will take the place of Steve Lawrie, who has been struggling with a back problem all week. Even if he does not get on the pitch, Brown's arrival in the international arena represents a remarkable ascent for a player who has yet to start a professional game.

Brown, a former Scotland Under-20 captain, was seen as a rising star a few years ago, but a persistent neck problem hampered his progress. An operation to fuse bones in his neck was a complete success, but Edinburgh were not prepared to wait for his full recovery and so dropped him from their academy programme.

Brown eventually returned to rugby with Heriot's FP. Over the past season he made four appearances as a replacement for Glasgow and impressed enough to earn himself a full-time contract with the Scotstoun side. Even so, his sum total of experience at pro level is just 44 minutes of game time, so being sent out against the world's No.2 side would represent a quantum leap for the player.

Scott Johnson, the Scotland coach, hinted that he would not rush to pitch Brown in against the Springboks, but he would be obliged to do so if starting hooker Scott Lawson suffered a problem. Johnson acknowledged that it was an unusual situation – suggesting that Brown would ordinarily be "fifth or sixth" in the pecking order –but said that he liked what he had seen of the player so far.

"I always judge a guy by his handshake and I had to put my hand in ice after meeting him," joked the coach. "That is a good place to start. He is a farming boy, a tough boy. He is an impressive kid. It is a big ask, let's not kid ourselves, but there is something there. There is no doubt about it."

Scotland might be forced into another late change if Euan Murray's recovery from his hamstring strain stalls. The prop has been making better than expected progress over the past week, but Johnson admitted he is still a doubt. If Murray does not come through a fitness test then Jon Welsh will be promoted to the starting line-up, with uncapped Glasgow prop Gordon Reid added to the bench.

"A lot of good will come out of this," said the defiant Johnson. "You can't buy this experience. Look at the prop situation, it is the same thing. It is in these areas that we need to develop. It is about, getting our academies right so we are not short like this and so we know where our strengths and weaknesses lie."

Bradley Harper, a 19-year-old Johannesburg-born centre whose parents hail from Scotland, linked up with the squad at Nelspruit yesterday. Harper has been targeted by the Golden Lions, the Johannesburg-based provincial side, but he is also keen to strengthen his links with the land of his parents' birth. Harper spent the first part of this season playing for Glasgow Hawks, and talks aimed at bringing him back to Scotland are ongoing.

"I would prefer to get a contract in Scotland because half my family is there and I love Scotland," said Harper. "I am in talks with the Lions but if that does not come off I would like to go back in August to Scotland and then take it from there."

This article was posted on 15-Jun-2013, 07:31 by Hugh Barrow.