Henry Pyrgos to skipper Scotland against Ireland

Glasgow scrum-half Henry Pyrgos will captain Scotland in their opening World Cup warm-up clash against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

Coach Vern Cotter has named a 25-man squad for the match at the Aviva Stadium but has already confirmed Pyrgos will lead the side, which will be named on Thursday.

Uncapped Hugh Blake, Mike Cusack, Allan Dell and Stuart McInally are in line to make their Test debut for the Dark Blues.

"It's amazing," he said. "I didn't expect to be in this situation but finding out about this is the proudest day of my life. I know my family are thrilled too but I want to now justify it by going out and putting on a good performance.

"As a scrum-half, you have quite a big influence in the way the team plays in both defence and attack. That's why you see a few nines getting that chance to be captain. You are always in a position where you are making decisions and communicating with the squad.

"So I wouldn't say being skipper this weekend is a massive change. I will obviously still be focusing on my own game so that the team has a clear understanding of what we are trying to do.

"But it won't just fall to me. We have a squad full of leaders who will come out and have their say."

The Ireland fixture is the first of four warm-up internationals which Cotter will use to assess his group before slashing an extended 47-man squad to his final list of 31 on September 2.

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They travel to Turin to face Italy on August 22 before hosting the Azzurri at Murrayfield seven days later, and then cap their pre-tournament fixtures against France at the Stade de France on September 5.

Scotland take on Japan in Gloucester in their opening Pool B match on September 23.

Scotland squad

Backs: Dougie Fife, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Peter Horne, Ruaridh Jackson, Sean Lamont, Henry Pyrgos CAPTAIN, Tommy Seymour, Greig Tonks, Richie Vernon, Tim Visser, Duncan Weir.

Forwards: John Barclay, Hugh Blake, Fraser Brown, Blair Cowan, Mike Cusack, David Denton, Allan Dell, Grant Gilchrist, Ryan Grant, Jim Hamilton, Rob Harley, Stuart McInally, Gordon Reid, Jon Welsh.

Watch Ireland v Scotland on Saturday August 15 at 4:30pm, live on Sky Sports 1.