Business as usual for Leinster lock

Hines, a born-and-bred Australian who spent the first 22 years of his life Down Under, will start for the Scots against the Wallabies at Murrayfield this Saturday.

But the 32-year-old, who returned to the Magners League this season after a four-year sojourn in France with Perpignan, insists playing against Australia will be no more special than any of his 59 Scotland caps to date.

"It's just about playing against the 15 players opposite you," said Hines, when discussing the prospect of lining up against his homeland.

"Every time I play for Scotland is special and I want to get a victory over whoever's in front of me.

"I normally don't follow Australia's fortunes but for the last couple of games I've kept an eye on them. Last weekend against Ireland they were strong around the breakdown area and in the scrum. But they haven't been dominant in the line-out."

With his own hefty reputation as one of Europe's most dominant second rows in the tight, Hines is clearly confident that the Scots can challenge the Wallabies up front.

He points to a new-found confidence under recently appointed head coach Andy Robinson, as well as a growth in collective experience among the Scotland squad as a whole.

And following last weekend's 23-10 victory over Fiji, Hines is hopeful that the feel-good-factor among the entire camp will be followed by wins against both Australia and Argentina over the next two weekends.

"I think Andy has made a big difference," added Hines.

"Everyone always gets something different from a new coach, and the only way we'll know exactly what people have got out of it is with the results after these three games.

"But Andy is good, very clear about what he wants and how he wants you to do it, and in the way he tells you to play to your strengths.

"Andy likes us to have fun with each other, but expects that when it's time to do the job, it's done, and the guys have responded to that, so he hasn't yet been at our throats. That is something we want to keep going.

"I feel we have been getting older and growing together, like the Ireland team. Winning Tests is about making the right decisions at key times under pressure and getting caps and experience at international level helps players do that.

"A lot of the players who play international rugby now are physically similar, but the difference is the decision-making during the game and that comes from the experience of playing together.

"I think we're getting there now and hopefully that will show in the next few weeks."