MacArthur could make his debut for Scotland against the Azzurri after being called into the matchday 23 following a knee injury to Glasgow Warriors teammate Dougie Hall.

Scotland will be looking to bounce back to winning ways against Italy after falling to a 38-18 defeat to England in their first match of this year’s RBS 6 Nations at Twickenham.

Italy meanwhile are riding high after their 23-18 victory over France in Rome with 25-year-old hooker MacArthur set to fulfila career ambition at Murrayfield.

“It’s a huge honour to have the chance to play for my country,” said MacArthur.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I started playing mini rugby at Ayr and aimed for since I became a professional with Glasgow Warriors.”

Scotland team doctor James Robson confirmed Hall has a mild strain of his knee which will not settle in time for the clash with Italy however he had better news for Alasdair Strokosch.

Strokosch suffered an eye injury, diagnosed as a fracture of the orbital floor, against England and is heading back to Perpignan expecting to be back playing in less than a month’s time.