SCOTLAND will step into the lion's den this afternoon in Utrecht, Holland, when they play Australia in the opening match of the World Cup.
It will be a dream match for the majority of the Scottish players, lining up against the Olympic champions, but it will also be a day of disappointment for Sue Lawrie.
Lawrie was very much a Scottish heroine in the World Cup qualifying tournament in Harare last August, where she won the award for the best goalkeeper, but she has lost her place to Western Klick Photopoint's Tracey Robb.
Robb has certainly been a patient understudy over the past year but she is also a determined competitor and now her hard work has won promotion.
Mike Gilbert, the Scottish coach, may have to make a further change to his side. Susan Fraser went over on her ankle in training last week and is getting constant treatment from physio Karen Pearce. Gilbert, though, is confident ''she should be able to make some contribution to the game.''
He added: ''The girls are desperate to get started and with their new-found confidence from victories over India and the Dutch Under-21s in the past few days, we are certainly in good shape for what could well be our hardest match of the championship.'' Today's games:
Pool A - Scotland v Australia; South Africa v China; Germany v USA.
Pool B - India v Germany; Korea v Argentina; Holland v New Zealand.
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