Hadden faces nervous wait

Hadden: waiting game

Related links

Teams

• Scotland

Also see

• Sky Sports experts
• Rugby on Sky
• Live scores

Scotland's foreign-based players look set to play for their clubs this weekend, despite the pleas of head coach Frank Hadden.

Hadden, in dialogue with the clubs involved for months over the issue, has repeatedly insisted his fellow head coaches sympathise with his predicament in trying to prepare a squad for the upcoming autumn internationals.

But his fears that when push came to shove they would put their own interests ahead of those of Scotland look like being realised.

Of the 10 players recalled on Wednesday night from Hadden's Spanish training camp, all but one were named either in their clubs' starting line-ups or squads.

Hadden can now only hope his attempts at diplomacy lead to those players not completing a full 80 minutes, having already said that those playing on Sunday were at particular risk of being overlooked for the Test against New Zealand on November 8.

The three players that will affect are Ospreys' Nikki Walker and Gloucester's Alasdair Strokosch and Alasdair Dickinson.

The first two will start their clubs' EDF Energy Cup games, with the latter named as a replacement.

Of those playing on Friday and Saturday, Scott Gray, Sean Lamont and Euan Murray were all in the Northampton starting line-up for their cup game, while Simon Taylor was in the Stade Francais squad for their Top 14 match.

But the two exiles Hadden was hoping would play in order to get some much-needed game time looked set for a run-out.

Jason White was set to start for Sale on Friday evening, while Nathan Hines was named in the Perpignan squad for their match.

Only White's Sharks team-mate, Rory Lamont, was omitted altogether.