HUGH Blake will become the latest Glasgow player to be capped for Scotland when he lines up against Ireland on Saturday – although he has actually yet to play a game for Glasgow.

The openside flanker joined Edinburgh when he moved here from New Zealand at the start of the year, but after being injured played only three times for the capital team, starting once and coming off the bench twice.

He was then loaned to Glasgow for the rest of the season, but was not selected for any of their remaining PRO12 games.

The 22-year-old was included in the Scotland training squad during the Six Nations Championship and has played for the national sevens side as well as turning out at domestic club level, so there should be no questions about his match fitness.

Even so, he admitted yesterday that he had been surprised to be selected for Scotland’s first Rugby World Cup warm-up match after so few games for either professional team.

“It’s all happened a lot quicker than I expected it to,” Blake said. “I came over and initially couldn't play the first few games for Edinburgh because I wasn't registered for the European Cup.

“Then I got a head knock so I was on the back foot for the first six weeks. Then obviously the Six Nations came along and I was involved in that. It was awesome to be involved in a professional environment at such a high level: it was the first time I had experienced that.

“Then I got put on loan to Glasgow at the business end of their season and I wasn't really expected to be thrown in there and take guys’ positions that have been playing there all year, so I got to go and play sevens. I saw this as a good opportunity to commit to Scottish rugby.

“It takes away my eligibility to go back to New Zealand and it commits me to Scotland forever. So I got to play in the last two tournaments and it was an awesome experience.”

Blake’s arrival reignited the controversy about imports into the national team, but his attitude is that, having two grandparents from Scotland, he is as eligible as anyone else to represent the country.

“If someone asked me what right I had to play for Scotland then I’d say I had as much right as you.

"My gran was pregnant with my dad when she left Scotland so I have as much blood as I need to have to represent my country and I’m proud of that.

“My grandparents grew up in the West End of Glasgow. My grandfather was a teacher at a high school there, and some of my grandparents’ brothers and sisters still live there so I catch up with them for meals all the time.”

Blake, who is now contracted to Glasgow for the next two years, is the only uncapped player in the starting line-up, although his Warriors team-mate, prop Mike Cusack, is expected to come off the bench to make his debut. In all there are seven Glasgow men in the match 15, with another four on the bench.

Scotland (v Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, kick-off 5pm): Jackson (Wasps); Lamont, Vernon, Horne (all Glasgow), Visser (Harlequins); Tonks (Edinburgh), Pyrgos (Glasgow, captain); Grant, Brown (both Glasgow), Welsh (Newcastle), Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Hamilton (Saracens), Cowan (London Irish), Blake (Glasgow), Denton (Edinburgh). Subs: Ford (Edinburgh), Reid, Cusack, Harley (all Glasgow), Barclay (Saracens), Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh), Weir (Glasgow), Scott (Edinburgh).