Yes - I Think This Is Our Best XV

Scotland team to play Samoa Africa at St James' Park in Round 4 of Rugby World Cup Pool B

Saturday 10 October (kick-off 2.30pm) - live on ITV

15 Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) – 36 caps; 9 tries, 2 pens, 51 points 14 Sean Maitland (London Irish) – 18 caps; 3 tries, 15 points 13 Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors) – 11 caps; 5 tries, 25 points 12 Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby) – 32 caps; 4 tries, 20 points 11 Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 20 caps; 9 tries, 45 points 10 Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps; 2 tries, 3 cons, 1 pen, 19 points 9 Greig Laidlaw CAPTAIN (Gloucester) – 44 caps; 3 tries, 52 cons, 94 pens, 401 points 1 Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 50 caps; 2 tries, 10 points 2 Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) – 92 caps; 2 tries, 10 points 3 Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) – 6 caps; 1 try, 5 points 4 Richie Gray (Castres) – 49 caps; 2 tries, 10 points 5 Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 17 caps; 1 try, 5 points 6 Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 14 caps 7 John Hardie (unattached) – 3 caps; 1 try, 5 points 8 David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby) – 30 caps Substitutes 16 Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps 17 Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps 18 Jon Welsh (Newcastle Falcons) – 10 caps; 1 try, 5 points 19 Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – 15 caps 20 Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors) – 3 caps 21 Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) – 17 caps; 4 tries, 20 points 22 Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps, 1 try, 1 con, 1 pen, 10 points 23 Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors) – 99 caps, 14 tries, 70 points

THAT Big Vern Cotter should name the above team for Saturday afternoon's crucial Pool B game, at St James Park is hardly surprising. On current form, that's the team I'd have picked.

Yes, I would have been tempted to bench Stuart Hogg, just to re-focus him, and, because I reckon he could well bring an additional X-Factor as an impact sub, after an hour - but, I will not argue with BVC's choice.

It is great and reassuring to see John Hardie and Finn Russell back in harness, while Sean Lamont will surely get on to double our number of caps centurions. I think we are in a good place.