Scotland Hopes Chilled By Absence of Murray

Scotland's supporters felt an extra chill today with the news that Euan Murray, the tight-head prop who will already have been penciled in for a place in the Lions Test team this summer, will not be fit to face the Grand Slam champions, Wales, at Murrayfield on Sunday.

The powerhouse scrummager popped a rib playing for his club, Northampton, in last month's European Challenge Cup game against Toulon and is replaced by Edinburgh's Geoff Cross, a 26-year-old who makes his debut.

Murray, a trained vet, may already have been seeking a diagnosis from Cross, who is a qualified doctor. Nathan Hines, who has a knee injury, is also out of the game. The Australia-born Hines is replaced in the second row by the former captain Jason White, another player unlucky with injuries in recent years but who has recovered from a dislocation of his finger. White, who wins his 70th cap, played in the second row in last year's Calcutta Cup victory over England.

Elsewhere there are recalls in the backline for Hugo Southwell, Graeme Morrison and Sean Lamont and for Allister Hogg in the back row with Southwell pipping the experienced Chris Paterson for the full-back berth. Paterson is on the bench while Ben Cairns will make his first Six Nations start in the center.

Scotland will miss the physicality of Murray and Hines for a fixture they won two years ago and the pair were originally expected to be given until Friday to prove their fitness. The team doctor, James Robson, said: "They continue to make slow but steady progress but it's too early at this stage to give an accurate prognosis of whether they will be available for selection against France next week."

Scotland's head coach, Frank Hadden, has had some contentious calls to make. Southwell's form for Edinburgh this winter merits a place in the starting line-up and the selection at fly-half of his team-mate Phil Godman over the more conservative Dan Parks hints that Scotland will attempt a more expansive game under the new backs coach, Gregor Townsend, who has been mentoring Godman at Edinburgh.

Thom and Max Evans, the brothers who were so outstanding in Glasgow's recent Heineken Cup win in Toulouse, had been widely expected to emulate the England's Armitage brothers and be in the 22. Instead Max is on the bench and the more experienced Thom left out with Simon Webster given the right-wing berth.

Hadden said: "Thom is a young guy who has done all we could have asked of him. He is inexperienced but has great running skills and his time will come. There were key decisions at No15 but Hugo is in a rich vein of form and both Thom and Simon Danielli can consider themselves unlucky. But the good thing is that despite the injuries we have the depth of squad that can cope."

Hadden is confident he can start without Paterson. "The stats tell us that Chris Paterson is the best goal kicker in the northern hemisphere but Phil Godman is at No5 and Chris can come on and play at No10 if required. He played a cameo there for Edinburgh successfully recently."

Scotland Southwell; Webster, Cairns (all Edinburgh); Morrison (Glasgow), S Lamont (Northampton); Godman, Blair (captain); Jacobsen, Ford, Cross (all Edinburgh); White (Sale), Hamilton, Hogg (both Edinburgh), Barclay (Glasgow), Taylor (Stade Français). Replacements Hall (Glasgow), Dickinson (Gloucester), Brown (Glasgow), Gray (Northampton), Cusiter (Perpignan), Paterson (Edinburgh), M Evans (Glasgow).