SIMON WEBSTER cannot wait to test himself against the man he describes as the best player in the world when Scotland face Wales on Sunday.

Edinburgh star Webster will go head-to- head with Shane Williams at Murrayfield after his surprise selection on the right wing for the RBS 6 Nations opener.

Thom Evans seemed a certainty for the role after his performances for Glasgow this season, but he did not even make the 22, with head coach Frank Hadden opting for experience over youth.

Webster, 27, has played against Williams before, but cannot recall ever being in direct confrontation with the reigning IRB Player of the Year.

"If you ask anyone, you want to be up against the best," Webster said.

"Shane Williams usually plays on the wing for them and he was the best player in the world last year, so that's just exciting for the guys who are playing against him."

Webster's selection was one of a number of gambles by Hadden and his coaching team, but the player himself did not seem to know what all the fuss was about.

"To be honest, I haven't actually spoken to the coaches too much about why I've been picked," said Webster, who will line up on the opposite flank to Northampton's Sean Lamont.

"I'm not really thinking about the selection or the reasons behind it. I'm just trying to get ready for a game."

He added: "I know there's obviously a lot of competition for places and I know Thom's been playing really well, and Sean's a great player as well.

"But I think we've all been going quite well over the last few months The reasons for the coaches' selections are their reasons, but I'm happy with how I've been going."

Evans' omission appears to back up Hadden's claim this is the strongest squad of his near four-year tenure.

It is also a massive vote of confidence for Webster.But, while he appreciates it, he claims to get his self-belief from elsewhere.

"I usually try to get my confidence from games and training," he said. "I think that's the best place for an athlete to try to find confidence.

"I'm obviously chuffed to bits to be involved. But, at the same time, now the focus changes and you just want to play well come the game."

Webster also draws upon past successes whenever he needs a boost.

"My last experience of the Welsh was two years ago at Murrayfield when we beat them," he said. "So, obviously, that was a good experience."

Much has been made of the need for Scotland to improve their decision-making under pressure if they are to avoid another season of struggle.

Webster said: "When-ever I've been in the team for Scotland and we've won a match, it's generally because we've done the smart things at the right times.

"We haven't given away soft points; we haven't made silly decisions."

He added: "We're all international players. So silly little mistakes, it's really not acceptable for us to make them." Murrayfield line-ups . . .

SCOTLAND 15 Hugo Southwell 14 Simon Webster 13 Ben Cairns 12 Graeme Morrison 11 Sean Lamont 10 Phil Godman 10 9 Mike Blair (captain) 8 Simon Taylor 7 John Barclay 6 Allister Hogg 5 Jim Hamilton 4 Jason White 3 Geoff Cross 2 Ross Ford 1 Allan Jacobsen

Replacements 16 Dougie Hall 17 Alasdair Dickinson 18 Kelly Brown 19 Scott Gray 20 Chris Cusiter 21 Chris Paterson 22 Max Evans

WALES 15 Lee Byrne 14 Leigh Halfpenny 13 Jamie Roberts 12 Gavin Henson 11 Shane Williams 10 Stephen Jones 9 Michael Phillips 8 Andy Powell 7 Martyn Williams 6 Ryan Jones (captain) 5 Alun-Wyn Jones 4 Ian Gough 3 Adam Jones 2 Matthew Rees 1 Gethin Jenkins

Replacements 16 Huw Bennett 17 John Yapp 18 Luke Charteris 19 Dafydd Jones 20 Dwayne Peel 21 James Hook 22 Tom Shanklin