Ross could be forgiven for thinking he had done so already after a try-scoring return to the international arena on Friday as Scotland broke their eight-month Test duck with victory over Samoa.

But neither Williams, nor Ross for that matter, was satisified with his tactical kicking against the islanders and stray clearances into a Wallaby back division probably including the likes of Lote Tuqiri and Joe Roff will be sorely punished.

"I wasn't happy with his kicking in the last game and he has a chance to impress, prove me wrong and make his case for selection against the Wallabies,'' said Williams.

That Ross was given his third start in four matches this tour could easily have been interpreted as a major hint that Dan Parks will be preferred in Sunday's first Test against Australia in Melbourne.

But Williams addressed all his players at training and urged them not to draw any conclusions from the selections, assuring them that Test places remain available.

Indeed, places on the tour itself are still up for grabs with the group of players scheduled to fly home on Wednesday, once the "development'' matches are done, not yet finalised.

A decision will be made after Williams and his assistant Todd Blackadder have assessed the final performances against the Waratahs on Tuesday night.

"Just because the boys are selected in the team to play the Waratahs does not mean they are not in the Test side,'' said Williams.

"There is a much bigger gap this week - we play on Tuesday and Sunday - so they can have a longer rest and play in both games.

"The gauntlet has been thrown down to the players - this is your chance, do well, prove yourself against the Waratahs and play yourself into the Test side.''

While the squad enjoyed an afternoon cruise around Sydney Harbour, Test fullback Chris Paterson was in hospital for surgery on his fractured cheekbone, suffered against the Samoans.

The loss of Paterson for the two Tests against Australia is also likely to play a significant role in Williams' fly-half decision.

Paterson's injury leaves Scotland shorn of much-needed leadership and experience and whoever is selected at fly-half will not only need to provide an attacking thrust with the ball in hand but also take on the kicking responsibilities.

Williams opted for Ross to play against Samoa because his form with the boot had been impressive in training, though he did state the selection was "horses for courses".

Parks, meanwhile, responded to his benching with a perfect kicking display against NSW Country, landing eight-from-eight in the 48-10 victory.

Paterson's injury has also opened the way for the likes of Gareth Morton, the former Great Britain Academy rugby league player, to stake his claim for a place in the Test squad.

Morton was on stand-by for the Samoa match after Hugo Southwell won a place on the bench while Bath winger Simon Danielli, still nursing a back problem through training but fit to play matches, will be anxious for a return to the fold.

Both will start in a Scotland side featuring six changes from the midweek line-up that beat NSW Country, with scrum-half Mike Blair taking over from Graeme Beveridge and Stephen Cranston starting on the wing in place of Southwell.

Up front, Craig Smith and Robbie Russell return to the front row while Sale Sharks lock Iain Fullarton starts in the second row with Scott McLeod switching to blindside flanker in place of Andy Hall.

The side will be captained again by hard-working number eight John Petrie, who will have been involved in all four of Scotland's matches on tour.

The Waratahs side will bear little resemblance to their full-strength line-up with injuries and call-ups to the Australia Test and Under-21 squads depriving coach Ewen McKenzie of 16 players with Super 12 experience.

Teams:
NSW Waratahs: P Hewat; E Tuqiri, M Thaiday, N Grey (captain), S Staniforth; T Donnelly, T Clark; G Hardy, A Freier, A Broughton-Rouse, A Campbell, W Caldwell, S Kasprowicz, T McGann, S Hoiles.
Replacements: H Edmonds, A Walsh, M Wilson, C Sproats, C O'Young, S Berne, J Hilgendorf.
Scotland: G Morton; S Danielli, M Di Rollo, G Morrison, S Cranston; G Ross, M Blair; C Smith, R Russell, J Brannigan, I Fullarton, C Hamilton, S McLeod, S Gray, J Petrie (captain).
Replacements: S Scott, C Noon, A Kellock, A Hall, G Beveridge, R Lawson, M Dey.