The Scots captain is set for a further anxious wait on the extent of his knee injury with swelling around the problem delaying a full assessment.

But Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has been able to call in Taylor as a high-profile replacement after the Lions international returned to action for Edinburgh on Friday after six months on the sidelines after knee surgery.

However, the 27-year-old believes more would have been expected of him if he had replaced a fully-fit player.

Taylor said: Coming in as a replacement for Jason means there is less pressure on me, because I am not taking anyone elses place.

It certainly wouldnt be fair on the players from last week just to come in and take a place, but Jason is injured, so you feel more like there is a place for you rather than you have stolen somebodys spot.

It is a pretty big challenge for me considering I have been out for six months, and that definitely makes it more exciting.

This is the latest in a long trail of comeback matches for Taylor, who has suffered a catalogue of serious injuries over the last two years.

The Edinburgh man played no rugby between March 2004 and February 2005 because of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

And he missed the first two months of last season, after being sent home early from the Lions tour of New Zealand in the summer of 2005 with a hamstring complaint.

Taylor also had to fly home early from the Lions tour of Australia in 2001, with a knee injury.

But he is convinced he is in better condition this time than he was for any of his previous comebacks.

Taylor added: I dont like to tempt fate, but, when I came back from doing my cruciate ligament in 2004, there were a lot of little niggly things  tweaked hamstrings, hurt shoulders and things like that  which were bothering me.

I dont want to say everything is going smoothly this time, because that sort of thing often comes back to haunt you, but I am feeling good.

I have waited in terms of doing everything you can without actually playing, so I feel ready in that sense, but you dont actually know how you are going to go until you are back into it.