After a November series that suggested Scottish fortunes were on the up there was a crushing defeat at the hands of England last weekend that sent them homeward to think again. For Scotland they will be hoping that day is past now as the entertain Wales on Saturday.

Wales too were victims of an opening day Six Nations defeat, albeit in a contrasting manner to the way Scotland fell from grace, and will arrive in Edinburgh as marginal favourites.

Wales' last visit to Murrayfield was in their Grand Slam year and saw a first half performance worthy of the then champions to be. Last years Cardiff encounter will be remembered for the sending off of Scott Murray, a factor that swung the game in favour of the Welsh, so what then can we expect from this years battle?

Frank Hadden has turned to the Edinburgh trio of Phil Godman, Rob Dewey and Scott Murray to change the fading Scottish fortunes. In fact such is Hadden's faith in young Godman that he believes he has the ability to alter the course of this crucial game.

"We have picked a team to win this match and by changing the stand-off we will change the way in which we approach this game and play this game," commented Hadden.

"We believe firmly that Phil Godman is the right man for this occasion."

Godman would therefore be excused if he admitted he was feeling a wee bit under pressure, with just seven caps and only one start in a Scotland jersey to date, a lot is expected of him. He will however be surrounded by players he knows only too well, with a further eight of the Scotland team being provided by Edinburgh.

The selection of Godman in the fly-half role would suggest Scotland will be looking to play a more expansive game, as where as Dan Parks' game is very much a kicking one, Godman is more adept to playing an open game.

Welsh coach Gareth Jenkins has also made several changes to his side, most notable is the return of the 'Hair Bears' Adam and Duncan Jones. The Ospreys duo will look to add a fresh impetus to the Welsh scrum, as well as both being more than able dynamic ball carriers.

Wales will need to carry hard into the heart of the Scottish defence if they are to open up the game and play their favoured running rugby. With Mark Jones returning on the wing in the place of Hal Luscombe, who picked up a knee injury against Ireland, Wales will have an extra edge out wide this week.

Scrum-half Dwayne Peel will be the latest Welshman to join the fifty cap club on Saturday, and he is in fact the youngest Welshman to achieve the milestone. Peel is back to his best and playing with Stephen Jones at regional level gives the half-back pairing a complete understanding of one anothers games. Wales will look to this partnership to maintain the fluidity in their game.

Realistically, it is hard to see either of these sides competing for the championship this season, although one would have to think Wales have a better chance than their Celtic rivals. That said neither side will hold back on Saturday and so it is with great anticipation we look forward to kick off.

One to watch:

For Scotland: Having come to prominence in the November test series Scotland number eight David Callam has taken his chance with both hands and will need another stellar performance on Saturday at the base of the scrum. Against England, Callam was a shining light on a bleak day and has started to forge a reputation as an industrious back-row player. He is ever willing to offer himself as a ball carrier and couples this with a solid and busy defence. He will need to be at the top of his game to outfox the balanced Welsh back row.

For Wales: Returning from one knee reconstruction is a big ask, but to do it twice shows tremendous determination, something Mark Jones is not short of. The Scarlets wing is back in the Welsh side after recovering from an ankle injury. Jones is an exciting runner with ball in hand and with Wales playing such an expansive game at present he should find himself with plenty of opportunity to do so on Saturday. His battle with Scotland captain Chris Paterson will be one of intrigue and if Jones can get the upper hand Wales may just have a match winner in the Builth man.

Head to head: If you are looking for where this game will be won and lost for both sides you have to look no further than the battle of the fly-halves, Phil Godman and Stephen Jones. Godman comes into the Scotland side for only his second start, and a Six Nations debut, where as Jones, the Welsh captain, is a veteran of sixty tests to date. Jones will concede a yard of pace to the young Godman but has a far superior kicking game and will look to utilise this in giving Wales field position to attack from. Whoever comes out on top will surely guide their side to victory.

Prediction: Both sides come into this game on the back of opening day defeats and will be eager to kick start their Six Nations campaigns. Wales will start as slight favourites and justifiably so. However Scotland have wrung the changes in what seems to be an attempt to play a more expansive running game. This should suit Wales who have adopted a similar approach over the past few years. One feels Wales are better exponents of such a game and thus will snaffle a win in Edinburgh. Wales by ten points.

Previous Results:

2006: Wales won 28-18, Millennium Stadium
2005: Wales won 46-22, Murrayfield
2004: Wales won 23-10, Millennium Stadium
2003: Wales won 23-9, Millennium Stadium
2003: Scotland won 30-22, Murrayfield
2002: Scotland won 27-22, Millennium Stadium
2001: Draw 28-28, Murrayfield
2000: Wales won 26-18, Millennium Stadium
1999: Scotland won 33-20, Murrayfield
1998: Wales won 19-13, Wembley
1997: Wales won 34-19, Murrayfield
1996: Scotland won 16-14, Cardiff Arms Park

Teams:

Scotland: 15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Marcus Di Rollo, 12 Rob Dewey, 11 Chris Paterson (c), 10 Phil Godman, 9 Chris Cusiter, 8 David Callam, 7 Kelly Brown, 6 Simon Taylor, 5 Scott Murray, 4 Jim Hamilton, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Dougie Hall, 1 Gavin Kerr.
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Allan Jacobsen, 18 Nathan Hines, 19 Allister Hogg, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Simon Webster, 22 Nikki Walker.

Wales: 15 Kevin Morgan, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Jamie Robinson, 12 James Hook, 11 Chris Czekaj, 10 Stephen Jones (c), 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 Ryan Jones, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Alix Popham, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Robert Sidoli, 3 Adam Jones, 2 T Rhys Thomas, 1 Duncan Jones.
Replacements: 16 Matthew Rees, 17 Gethin Jenkins, 18 Ian Gough, 19 Jonathan Thomas, 20 Michael Phillips, 21 Ceri Sweeney, 22 Tom Shanklin.

Date: Saturday 10th February 2007
Kick-off: 15:30 GMT
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)
Touch judges: Chris White (England), Federico Cuesta (Argentina)
Television match official: Rob Debney (England)
Assessor: Douglas Kerr (Scotland)

By Marcus Leach