Rory Lawson will captain Scotland against South Africa © PA Photos

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Gloucester scrum-half Rory Lawson will skipper Scotland against South Africa on Saturday after Mike Blair was ruled out of the game with concussion.

Lawson will take the reins of the national team for the first time and leads a side showing four changes and a positional switch from last weekend's hammering at the hands of New Zealand.

Leinster's Nathan Hines starts at blindside flanker, with Saracens back-rower Kelly Brown shifting to No.8 in place of Richie Vernon. In the second-row, Gloucester's Jim Hamilton misses out to the recalled Scott McLeod.

Ospreys wing Nikki Walker starts out wide in place of Rory Lamont while the final change sees Lawson take over the No.9 jersey and captaincy.

"We have to show Scotland's supporters this weekend that we are ready to face up to the intensely physical challenge that the South Africans always present," head coach Andy Robinson said.

"The players are pledged to deliver a much-improved performance this weekend and I believe they can restore pride in the Scotland jersey."

On the bench there is a recall for Test centurion Chris Paterson while Dougie Hall and Moray Low have been selected as front-row cover.

Scotland: H Southwell (Stade Francais); N Walker (Ospreys), M Evans (Glasgow Warriors), G Morrison (Glasgow Warriors), S Lamont (Scarlets); D Parks (Cardiff Blues), R Lawson (Gloucester); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), E Murray (Northampton), R Gray (Glasgow Warriors), S MacLeod (Edinburgh), N Hines (Leinster), J Barclay (Glasgow Warriors), K Brown (Saracens)

Replacements: D Hall (Glasgow), M Low (Glasgow), R Vernon (Glasgow), R Rennie (Edinburgh), G Laidlaw (Edinburgh), R Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), C Paterson (Edinburgh)