Blair returns at scrum-half to captain Scotland at Murrayfield

Andy Robinson has urged a re-think of player release rules after Premier Rugby Ltd blocked Scotland's selection of four players against a Japan Select.

The Scotland coach is prevented from using Gloucester quartet Rory Lawson, Alasdair Dickinson, Alasdair Strokosch and Scott Lawson for Tuesday's game.

"Gloucester were happy for us to play their four players," he said ahead of the match at Murrayfield.

"The IRB really has to look at regulation nine again."

A new regulation nine was introduced by the International Rugby Board in January 2009 in an effort to create an equitable framework for the release by clubs of players for international duty.

Certain pre-agreed windows exist in which players must be made available to their national team.

But, as Tuesday's match is being played outside the summer window, there is no requirement for Scotland's Gloucester contingent to be released.

It is really based around the players not having had a lot of rugby in recent weeks Scotland coach Andy Robinson

England have been able to bypass the regulation because the Rugby Football Union is paying the Premier Rugby around £110m over eight years up to June 2016 to ensure beneficial player-access rights.

However, the Gloucester quartet will not be allowed to join up with the Scotland squad until Friday, the same day they depart for their two-Test tour of Argentina.

The intervention by the umbrella group that represents Guinness Premiership clubs has not gone down well with Robinson, especially as Gloucester have not played a competitive game for three weeks and will not be back in action for another two and a half months.

"Basically, the PRL are upholding regulation nine and it is their right to do so," he said.

"I would agree that it is very important during November and the Six Nations. But, with Gloucester not having a game, it is affecting the players' ability to train and play."

Centre Alex Grove, who was part of the Worcester Warriors side relegated this season, might also have been forced to sit out the match against the Japanese.

However, he has joined Edinburgh on a season-long loan and he starts at inside centre in a Scotland side that shows seven changes from the one that ended the Six Nations with a surprise win in Ireland.

Winger Simon Danielli, half-back Phil Godman and captain Mike Blair return.

Grove is able to play after his switch to Edinburgh

"After their run to the Magners League play-offs, we're giving some of the Glasgow Warriors players some extra recovery time," said Robinson.

However, Warriors trio Moray Low (prop), Richie Gray (lock) and Richie Vernon (flanker) are in the starting pack.

Vernon is the only member of the Scotland A party that will set out on the defence of the IRB Nations Cup in Bucharest next month who will start on Tuesday.

Two of his Scotland A team-mates, Fergus Thomson and Mark McMillan, are on the bench and are the only uncapped players in the squad for a match where no caps will be awarded and for which entry is free.

Other notable absentees from the 22 for the match are captain Chris Cusiter and flanker Alan McDonald, who are suffering with respective knee and abdominal injuries.

Robinson was reasonably optimistic about the prospect of both travelling to Argentina, where the Scots face the Pumas on 12 and 19 June.

Despite the absentees, Robinson declared himself satisfied with the make-up of the team for the match.

"Let's not let this discount from the game," he said.

"It is a good squad we've got and we've just got to get out there and use this match as preparation for the tour.

"It is really based around the players not having had a lot of rugby in recent weeks, so this is about giving them the opportunity to have a run out.

"This game is about putting into action a lot of the things we do in training into a game environment and getting out a lot of our coaching points and developing the players' understanding after being out of the game for the best part of two months."

Sean Lamont, Hugo Southwell and Grove were particularly in his thinking.

"Sean finished the season in the first week of May, Hugo finished a week before that, and Alex is in the same boat," added Robinson. "All these players need a hit out."

Japan qualified this month for the Rugby World Cup 2011 and the match will be a test of the depth of their extended squad.

Scotland: H Southwell (Stade Francais); S Lamont (Scarlets), N De Luca (Edinburgh), A Grove (Worcester), S Danielli (Ulster); P Godman (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh, capt); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), M Low (Glasgow), R Gray (Glasgow), J Hamilton (Edinburgh), R Vernon (Glasgow), K Brown (Glasgow), J Beattie (Glasgow).
Replacements: F Thompson (Glasgow), G Cross (Edinburgh), S MacLeod (Edinburgh), J Barclay (Glasgow), M McMillan (Glasgow), M Evans (Glasgow), J Thompson (Edinburgh).

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