SCOTLAND enforcer Rob Harley expects Georgia to take a big scalp soon - he just hopes it does not happen this afternoon at Rugby Park.

The Glasgow Warriors forward has been recalled by head coach Vern Cotter for the match in Kilmarnock, taking the place of Edinburgh’s Magnus Bradbury, who made his debut in last week’s against Argentina. That match followed the loss against Australia, so Scotland will have to claim the victory today to make it a winning Autumn Test series - but Harley knows it will be tough against opponents who have one of the best packs in world rugby.

“They’re a very good team,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of strengths, notably up front in the scrum and their maul, and when they bring big runners round the corner they’re very dangerous, so it’s going to be a big challenge for us out at Kilmarnock.

“It’s clear that they have that desire. They have that teamwork, they are close-knit, they put their bodies on the line, they’re ferocious in the way they play – but that’s exciting for us to have that challenge and to try and step up and match that intensity.”

Georgia beat Samoa at home last week and are now ranked 12th in the world compared to Scotland’s seventh. They hope to be included in an expanded Six Nations Championship before too long, and know that the best way to press their case is by beating one of the big guns.

“They’re showing a lot of form and had a good result against Samoa,” Harley continued. “I’m sure they’re pushing for this kind of result. Looking at their recent run of games, they’re playing good rugby, they’re playing well, so it’s a good challenge for us and we’re looking forward to having that challenge, especially up front .

“They’ve got a lot of big players in the pack, a lot of big, strong guys but as well as that they are very well drilled in the forward elements of the game – their scrum is very good and their maul is good as well, so it’s a key battle area for us. They’re going to want to take us on there and that could set the tone for the whole game.”

Harley is known for getting in opponents’ faces and disrupting their play, and this afternoon he is up against a man with almost identical strengths, Georgia’s Vito Kolelishvili. Scotland centre Mark Bennett has played with Kolelishvili and described him as “mental”, and Harley knows he has his work cut out for him.

“I watched a little bit of footage and talking to Mark as well he said he is a big guy and really powerful. Mark said he’s really explosive as well, so he’ll be trying to run away from him. But in the forwards you’ve got to front up to that challenge.

“I think their team have that collective character. When Shalva [Mamukashvili, the prop forward] was at Glasgow last year he was the same – off the park he was a quiet guy, very very friendly, but as soon as he stepped over the white line he was just ferocious and willing to throw his body into anything. I think that’s the mentality of their team, and that’s a great challenge for us to face up against.”