By Steve Scott, rugby correspondent

SATURDAY’S CLASH against Canada at Pittodrie might not be as glamorous as playing the top two teams in the world, as Scotland have done over the last fortnight, but it could be a better benchmark for the team, according to skipper Mike Blair.

Blair will win his 53rd cap on Saturday against the team he debuted against six years ago and, after the disappointment of the narrow defeat to world champions South Africa at the weekend, he does not believe there should be any let-up in intensity.

He said, “In one sense this is the true test, the measure of how far we’ve come as a team and as a squad.

“This is where we show the progress we made over the last fortnight against New Zealand and South Africa, and an opportunity to show we can dominate an opposition.

“A lot of the talk over the last fortnight has been about the other teams. This is our chance to be ruthless and show what we can do when we are dominant.”

The scrum-half’s debut against Canada in 2002 in Vancouver is a bittersweet memory and a lesson for this weekend, he believes.

“I was obviously proud to make my debut for my country, but there are mixed memories because we lost 26-23,” he said.

“You always dream growing up making your debut for Scotland but it’s always at Murrayfield in front a packed crowd and you score the winning try.

“Mine was in Vancouver in front of a couple of thousand people, so it was a funny sort of debut even though I did score a try.

“It kind of shows what we’re up against this week as well, because we’d beaten what was really a full-strength Canada team the week before, fairly comfortably, but they were under the Rugby Canada banner for that match and it wasn’t a capped test.

“We were expected to win in Vancouver having played so well the previous week, much like it is for us this week, and Canada certainly showed against Wales what they are capable of.

“They’ll have improved the more time they’re together, being on tour gives them an opportunity to bond on. We’re moving on and we’ve got better over the last two weeks as well, so it should be a good game.”

Blair has happier memories of Pittodrie, where he played in the Barbarians match three years ago.

“It was lovely sunny weather that day in May and I understand there’s possibilities of snow this weekend,” he said.

“It’s a narrow pitch, just 62 metres wide and the physical element will come in because there’s less room.

“The other thing I remember is that it was a really welcoming crowd that got behind us early on and we played some pretty good stuff to win 38-7.

“I understand ticket sales are going well, at about 16,500 in a 20,500 capacity, and hopefully we can have a pretty much full house by the time kick-off comes on Saturday.”

Winger Sean Duke will make his debut as one of four changes made to the Canada side beaten by Wales in Cardiff on Friday. He replaces Ciaran Hearn, who moves to centre, with Bryn Keys dropping to the bench.

Fly-half Matt Evans starts for the first time while the other changes are in the front three, with injured captain Pat Riordan replaced by Mike Pletch at hooker, while Scott Franklin comes in for John Thiel at tighthead.

Canada—J Pritchard; S Duke, C Hearn, R Smith, J Mensah-Coker; M Evans, E Fairhurst (capt); K Tkachuk, M Pletch, S Franklin, T Hotson, J Jackson, J Sinclair, A Kleeberger, A Carpenter. Replacements—F Walsh, M Burak, S M Stephen, M Williams, N Hirayama, B Keys.