Of all the Scotland players who are being rested this weekend ahead of the arrival of Italy at Murrayfield next Saturday, Murray probably needs the break the most.

The 26-year-old tight-head faces the unenviable task of having to neutralise perhaps the most destructive scrum in world rugby  however he is looking forward to the taking on Martin Castrogiovanni, Carlos Nieto, Andrea Lo Cicero and co.

The Italians will be a massive challenge because they are one of the best scrummaging units in the world at the moment, but you have to be confident or you are already beaten, said the Glasgow Warrior player.

We did really well against Wales, and there is no reason why we cant take that onto next week and give them a good battle.

Weighing in at just under 19 stone, Murray is several pounds heavier than Lo Cicero, the player he is likely to be going head-to-head with.

Lo Cicero was in the starting XV which gave England a major fright last week.

However Murray is not letting the slight weight advantage lure him into a false sense of security.

I played against Lo Cicero two years ago when I came off the bench for Scotland against the Barbarians, he recalled.

People say those games are all about throwing the ball about and having a run around, but he wasnt taking it easy in the scrums.

Hes a very good prop and so it will be interesting to see what happens.

Its not all about sheer brute strength. You would be surprised by how much video analysis and discussion with the coaches comes into it. So it is a combination of strength and weight along with technique.

Scotland got their first points on the board in this seasons RBS 6 Nations Championship last week, with a hard-earned Murrayfield victory over Wales.

It was good fun last week, said Murray.

The front row is a one-on-one challenge and it is very pleasing to get the upper hand. I suppose it was my best game in a Scotland jersey  but this week is a whole new challenge.

If Murray survives the tussle with Lo Cicero, he can expect the arrival of Salvatore Perugini as a replacement after approximately an hour.

Perugini was named in last seasons Six Nations team of the tournament after a series of awesome scrummaging displays for the Azzurri.

Murray knows the task is huge, but he would not have it any other way, adding: If you want to be the best, you have to know what it is like to go up against the best.