Hadden urges Paterson to be perfect 10 for Scots after switch

FRANK HADDEN has challenged Chris Paterson to prove he deserves to be Scotland’s World Cup stand-off when the former stand-in captain lines up against Ireland on Saturday.

Gloucester’s recent recruit from Edinburgh passes the armband to fit-again skipper Jason White, who plays his first Scotland match of the year, for the Murrayfield clash.

And Paterson’s positional change is perhaps Hadden’s most important experiment as far as Scotland’s World Cup prospects are concerned.

The vast majority of Paterson’s 74 caps have been won either on the wing or at full-back, but many observers believe he should have spent that time directing operations with the number 10 jersey on his back.

Having moved Paterson to the fly-half slot during the second half of each of Scotland’s matches in this year’s RBS 6 Nations campaign, Hadden has now decided the 29-year-old should have an opportunity to prove he can start an international match in the crucial position.

Hadden explained: “I think I said at the beginning of the Six Nations that he probably wasn’t ready to start an international match at stand-off, and at the end of the Six Nations I said he probably was — so he gets an opportunity to show if he can unseat Dan Parks or even Gordon Ross from that position.

Hadden has named a team which is not likely to be too far off his first-choice side when the World Cup gets under way on September 7.

But Hadden, who names his World Cup squad next Tuesday, said: “I see this as quite an experimental side and there are several positions where there is real competition for places.

“My first priority is to pick a team to win the match, but within that there is always scope for experimentation. I would say there are a number of players with real points to prove this weekend.