GLASGOW Warriors centre Mark Bennett cannot wait to return to action after a month out through injury - and knows there is no better match in which to make his comeback than tomorrow’s Calcutta Cup clash with England at Murrayfield.

The 23-year-old injured a shoulder while playing for the Warriors in the European Champions Cup against French side Racing 92, and for a time his involvement in the opening rounds of the RBS Six Nations Championship was in doubt. But he was passed fit earlier this week, and yesterday was named by Scotland coach Vern Cotter in a side that sees only two changes from the one that began the Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat by Australia back in October.

“It was bloody sore at the time,” Bennett said yesterday when asked about that shoulder injury in Paris. “I wasn’t thinking any further at the time and it was sore. I got tackled and the way I landed was awkward.

“The first few days it was pretty swollen and I didn’t get much movement, but then after three or four days the recovery came on quicker than initially expected because of how sore I was after the game. In the first week after I saw the surgeon I was starting to get into a better place again.”

Bennett was quickly reassured that he would not need surgery to repair the damage, and he was always hopeful that he would get back playing in time to keep his place in the team. But at the same time there was always a nagging worry that he would lose his race against time.

“Realistically yes, slightly,” he said when asked if he was concerned that he might miss out on the England game. “But I tried to put on a brave face.

“At the back of my mind I knew it to be positive. There wasn’t a lot to it. It was just a case of getting fired up again and progressing when it felt fit. The specialist was happy for me to crack on.”

The fact Bennett has been injured recently makes him all the more likely to be targeted by England - something that, as one of the lightest and shortest players in the team, he is used to anyway. “That’s part of the game. and I don’t see why they wouldn’t.

“I’m one of the smallest guys in the team. It’s just physics.”

The two changes to the team from the Wallabies match see Matt Scott came in at centre for Peter Horne, who is injured, and former Warriors forward John Barclay take over at No 6 from Blair Cowan. Glasgow prop Zander Fagerson is on the bench - the only member of the squad of 23 to be uncapped.

Scotland (v England at Murrayfield, Saturday, kick-off 4.50pm): S Hogg (Glasgow); S Maitland (London Irish), M Bennett (Glasgow), M Scott (Edinburgh), T Seymour; F Russell (both Glasgow), G Laidlaw (Gloucester); A Dickinson, R Ford, W Nel (all Edinburgh), R Gray (Castres), J Gray (Glasgow), J Barclay (Scarlets), J Hardie (Edinburgh), D Denton (Bath). Substitutes: S McInally (Edinburgh), G Reid, Z Fagerson, T Swinson (all Glasgow), B Cowan (London Irish), S Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh), D Weir (Glasgow), D Taylor (Saracens).