Scotland v Australia: Scott Johnson leaves out Richie Gray With injury doubts hanging over winger Tommy Seymour, Scotland coach Scott Johnson has delayed naming his backline to face Australia at Murrayfield on Saturday, but he has sprung a major surprise by leaving Richie Gray, the Scots" only current Test Lion, out of the side. Johnson confirmed the names of his eight starting forwards, and five forward replacements, at a morning briefing on Wednesday, but the back-three injury crisis that had already robbed him of Tim Visser and Sean Maitland took a turn for the worse during last Sunday's 28-0 loss to South Africa as Seymour picked up a bad leg knock. Seymour is expected to undergo a fitness test on Thursday orning. There being no like-for-like replacement, Johnson is likely to have to reshuffle his threequarters if Seymour is unavailable. One way or other, it seems likely that Max Evans will come into the starting line-up at the expense of Duncan Taylor. Duncan Weir is also expected to start at fly-half, taking the berth from Ruaridh Jackson. "There are permutations in this," said Johnson. We've got to see who can play what positions. We've lost a few outside backs and the thinking on the bench is versatility, so we have to look at combinations. Sometimes your best-laid plans fall apart and that may be the case on this occasion. The pack shows four changes from the one that started last weekend. Ryan Grant takes over from Ally Dickinson at loosehead prop, lock Tim Swinson returns in Gray's place, while flankers Johnnie Beattie and Kelly Brown take the shirts of Al Strokosch and John Barclay in a back row that now has no specialist openside. Gray appears to be taking the blame for a calamitous opening period in which Scotland failed to resecure possession at five of their first six lineouts. Of his starting locks, Johnson said: "Jim Hamilton played really well on Sunday and Tim Swinson was outstanding against Japan." Asked specifically if Gray had disappointed him, the coach said: "Jim was better." Moray Low keeps his place at tighthead despite the availability of Euan Murray, a vote of confidence that owes something to his performance against the Springboks, but something, too, to the fact that Murray's religious beliefs will rule him out of Scotland's opening Six Nations game, against Ireland, as it takes place on a Sunday. Australia have not had their backline troubles to seek either. With wings Adam Ashley-Cooper and Nick Cummins banned for their part in the notorious drinks binge in Ireland last week, the Wallabies also lost centre Tevita Kuridrani on Tuesday, suspended for five weeks for a tip tackle against Ireland. On Wednesday, fellow centre Matt Toomua was also ruled out after damaging a hamstring in training.