Scotland change tactics for Georgia

Scotland are adamant they will not drop the ball in their match against Georgia as they did in their Pool B opener against Romania.

Scotland coach Andy Robinson has made 11 changes to the XV that delivered a down-to-the-wire 34-24 victory against the 17th-ranked Romanians on Saturday.

Team captain Alastair Kellock will not be running on to the field against Georgia. His skipper duties have been handed to scrum half Rory Lawson.

"The main reason for the changes is the few days we have in between," said Lawson.

"We have a very strong squad, so we might as well use all the players as we have the opportunity to bring fresh legs."

Robinson insists the changes are not an assessment of the nine players from the Romania match not included in the new line-up, but a tailored approach for a strong Georgian side.

Scrum challenge

"We see this Georgia game as a really tough game and we expect it to be harder than the Romania game," said Robinson.

"The Georgians have a very good scrum and that's part of our planning.

"It's the first time we've gone with five-two (forwards-backs split on the bench) and it's because our objective is doubling up and we feel it is important to make those changes."

Scottish centre Nick de Luca said the team have drawn on their near defeat by Romania in their preparations for Georgia.

"We have learnt our lesson with Romania and now we want to move on," said de Luca. "We should not focus on Georgia, but look at ourselves."

Scotland meet Georgia in their second Pool B match at Invercargill's Rugby Park Stadium on Wednesday.