Newcastle Falcons lock Doddie Weir has been handed his first start for Scotland in over a year against the Barbarians on Thursday.

Weir has not played for the national team since the Six Nations Championship defeat by France at Murrayfield in March 2000, but gets his chance in this non-cap fixture in place of Lions tour-bound Scott Murray.

Glasgow Caledonians back-row forward Gordon Simpson has also been given an opportunity to revive his international fortunes after being dropped from the squad following disciplinary action in November.

Scotland coach Ian McGeechan will also give Allan Jacobsen, Gordon McIlwham, Stuart Grimes and Andrew Mower. Bryan Redpath will captain the side from scrum-half in the absence of Andy Nicol while Gordon Bulloch will take the vice-captaincy.

McGeechan said: "We want to look at what we are doing so you have to have a core group of players who are trying to take our game forward.

"Obviously I want to introduce players that I think have the potential and that could also make a difference to what we are doing.

"Players are doing certain things in the Welsh/ Scottish League and, when you come to a game like this, you are going to have different questions asked just because of the quality of the opposition.

"It is as much the individual quality of the opposition which is good for our players. This is a different challenge and one we want them to meet.''

McGeechan has been forced to make two changes, one positional, in his starting XV for Thursday's match that is in honour of former Scotland and British Lions lock and celebrated broadcaster, Gordon Brown, who died earlier this year.

Kenny Logan has a groin injury and has been forced to stand down. James McLaren (Glasgow Caledonians) now switches from outside centre to the left wing and Marcus Di Rollo (Edinburgh Reivers) will now start at outside centre. Taking Di Rollo's place on the bench is uncapped 21-year-old Andrew Henderson of Glasgow Caledonians.

Henderson was another member of the Scotland U21 squad who took part in the SANZAR tournament in NZ in June 2000.

Previously he has represented the Scottish Districts U21 team v New Zealand Youth at Murrayfield in November 1999. He helped the Scottish Students' to third place in last year's Students' World Cup in Italy and scored a try in his second appearance for Glasgow Caledonians against Swansea earlier this month.

The revised Scotland team now reads:

15 Chris Paterson (Edinburgh
Reivers); 14 Cameron Murray (Edinburgh Reivers), 13 Marcus Di Rollo (Edinburgh Reivers), 12 John Leslie (Northampton Saints), 11 James McLaren (Glasgow Caledonians); Duncan Hodge (Edinburgh Reivers), Bryan Redpath (Saleharks) CAPTAIN; 1 Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh Reivers), 2 Gordon Bulloch (Glasgow Caledonians), 3 Gordon McIlwham (Glasgow Caledonians), 4 Stuart Grimes (Newcastle Falcons), 5 Doddie Weir (Newcastle Falcons), 6 Gordon Simpson (Glasgow Caledonians), 8 Jon Petrie (Glasgow Caledonians), 7 Andrew Mower (Newcastle Falcons).

Subs - 16 Steve Scott (Edinburgh Reivers), 17 Craig Smith (Edinburgh Reivers), 18 Iain Fullarton (Edinburgh Reivers), 19 Donnie Macfadyen (Glasgow Caledonians), 20 Graeme Burns (Edinburgh Reivers), 21 Alan Bulloch (Glasgow Caledonians), 22 Andrew Henderson (Glasgow Caledonians).