Euan Murray will return to the front row for Scotland's Six Nations Championship match with Italy at Murrayfield on Saturday.

The Northampton prop missed the opening two matches of this year's tournament against Wales and France with a rib injury. But he came through 80 minutes of his club's Guinness Premiership defeat at Wasps on Sunday unscathed. Alasdair Dickinson drops to the bench.

Glasgow captain Alastair Kellock will make his first Test start for two years to replace Edinburgh lock Jim Hamilton, who has a shoulder injury.

Murray and Kellock are the only two changes from the side beaten 22-13 in France just over a week ago, Scotland's second successive defeat in this season's tournament.

The head coach, Frank Hadden, said: "We took a bold approach to selection last week and performed bravely in Paris. The approach to this game remains the same.

"We are delighted to recall Euan Murray and bring in someone as experienced as Al Kellock to replace Jim Hamilton."

Scotland team to play Italy (kick-off 3pm): H Southwell (Edinburgh); S Danielli (Ulster), M Evans (Glasgow), G Morrison (Glasgow), T Evans (Glasgow); P Godman (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh, capt); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), E Murray (Northampton), J White (Sale), A Kellock (Glasgow), A Strockosch (Gloucester), J Barclay (Glasgow), S Taylor (Stade Francais).

Replacements: D Hall (Glasgow), A Dickinson (Gloucester), K Brown (Glasgow), S Gray (Northampton), C Cusiter (Perpignan), C Paterson (Edinburgh), N De Luca (Edinburgh).