GRAEME Morrison will return to the Scotland team for Saturday’s EMC Test with Ireland, with Rugby World Cup heartache the driving force for him to perform and secure a place in the squad for this year’s tournament in New Zealand.

Morrison missed the RBS 6 Nations with a knee injury and was yesterday included as one of five changes, with a further positional switch from the March defeat of Italy, in the team to play at Murrayfield.

The 28-year-old Glasgow Warriors centre missed the final cut for the 2007 tournament and is determined to make amends and be one of the 30 players named in head coach Andy Robinson’s World Cup squad on August 22.

Morrison said: “He (Robinson) has 20-odd names (in mind), but he gives nothing away.

“He keeps his cards fairly close to his chest - you can’t really read too much into it.

“I think it’s quite a positive thing that I’ll be playing in this game and I’ll take it one step at a time.

“I’m desperate to go to a World Cup, given I missed out on the last one.

“It still hurts, but I’ve learnt a lot since then. I’ve become a far more mature player, I’ve got a lot more international experience and I think I’m in a far better place to go to the World Cup and do well than I was last time round.

“I’ll get the opportunity to show what I can do on Saturday and hopefully it goes well.”

Morrison’s inclusion in the team for the first of two World Cup warm-up Tests resulted in Sean Lamont being switched to the wing and Simon Danielli dropping out of the matchday squad.

In the forwards, Ross Rennie will make his first Scotland start at openside flanker in a new-look back row, with Johnnie Beattie to start at number eight.