SCOTLAND V WALES (Saturday KO 5pm)

THE competition has never been greater and Dragons flanker Dan Lydiate stresses he will never take his place in the Wales team for granted.

Lydiate has been retained in the starting XV to face Scotland at Murrayfield, coach Warren Gatland confining himself to just three changes after the defeat by England last Friday night.

He has brought James Hook in at outside half with Stephen Jones still suffering the effects of a heavy bump in the opening minutes of the England match, which has prevented him from training this week, though Gatland says he is fine for bench duty.

Lee Byrne returns at full back with Hook moving up and Ryan Jones is back at No 8 in place of the injured Andy Powell, a change which would probably have happened anyway.

But though the flankers remain unchanged Lydiate says the pressure is huge, especially with Martyn Williams still around, though not involved.

“You are never extablished in the team,” he said. “You can’t think ‘I’ve got the place’ or you’ll soon drop out of the side. You have got to make sure you’re focused all the time.

“There are a lot of good players in the back row in Wales, Martyn Williams didn’t even get picked so you’ve got to perform or you won’t get chosen.

“The competition keeps you on your toes, we all want the same jersey so the contact work in training means it’s every man for himself, it has to be like that and it bodes well for the team.

“You can’t just say you’ve made the Wales squad and stand still, you’ve got to keep at it. I’m in the best shape I’ve been for a long time, usually on a Monday after a game there’s a list of things wrong with me about 10 pages long! But I’m fine now.”

In a memorable few months Lydiate has made his first appearance against the All Blacks, he has made his Six Nations debut against England and now he is poised for his first away game in the championship against the Scots.

“The atmopshere for the opening game was amazing, it was electric, I couldn’t believe how awesome it was and the atmosphere between the rival fans was something special,” he said, still taking it all in after such an up and down career blighted by injury but now firmly on course.

“Scotland will be a new experience for me, it’s my first away game for Wales and I’m thoroughly looking forward to it. I expect it to be quite hostile, as much as the Millennium Stadium is for visiting teams. But you’ve got to get on with it, it’s 15 against 15 and we do need a result. It’s just about getting the little things right then we can do it.

“Their back row came here last year and were awesome so we’ll have quite a lot on our plate, it’s going to be a tough challenge but I’m up for it.”

Lydiate admits the heat is on Wales after a run of eight games without a win. “There’s always pressure, at international level it’s always there. If you lose then you need a win, but if you win you’ve got to win the next two,” he said.

“Friday was very physical, but you always want to get better and I’m still hoping to improve my game.”