Scotland head coach Frank Hadden concedes the autumn Test series may come too early for Simon Taylor.

The Edinburgh Gunners number eight is recovering from knee surgery in the summer and has yet to feature for his club side this season.

The 27-year-old has endured a wretched time with injuries throughout his career, including his withdrawal from two Lions tours.

And now the Scotland boss will be preparing for the games against Romania, Pacific Islanders and Australia without the talismanic backrow forward. Hadden said: "Any country would miss Simon Taylor.

"He is a top-quality international because of his work-rate and toughness.

"But we have a surplus of riches in the backrow, and I am not unhappy at all with the guys we have to choose from in that area.

"He is not far away, but whether he is back in time for the autumn Tests is a different matter.

"It is a difficult one to comment on. His rehab seems to be progressing well and he will be fit as soon as possible.

"That is all I can say. It is not an exact science."

Meanwhile, Hadden has called up seven uncapped players for his training squad for the autumn Test series.

Glasgow Warriors duo John Beattie and Thom Evans, Edinburgh Gunners' trio Rob Dewey, Alasdair Dickinson and apprentice Ross Rennie have all been selected for the two-day session next week.

Border Reivers' fullback Calum MacRae and Northampton Saints fullback Robbie Kydd have also been included, while Phil Godman and Allan Jacobsen, who both play for Edinburgh, and Warriors pair Graeme Morrison and Euan Murray have been promoted from the A squad.

But there is no place in the training squad for stand-off Gordon Ross, who joined French club Castres from Leeds Tykes in the summer. And the Scotland head coach admits his inability to watch the 28-year-old on a regular basis coloured his squad selection.

Hadden said: "It is harder for me to assess Gordon. I have watched every game Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Borders have played - even their pre-season games. But I have not watched every Castres game, so it is not as easy to follow him."

Lock Stuart Grimes returned to Scotland with Border Reivers this summer. But, after the end of his year-long sabbatical from international duty, the 71-times capped forward has not been included in the training squad.

However, the Scotland boss is refusing to rule out a return for the 32-year-old. Hadden said: "I think Stuart Grimes is just beginning to motor. He has had a year away from international rugby, and now he is beginning to come back into his game."

Australia centre Stirling Mortlock has been ruled out of the Test against Wales in November with a knee injury, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said yesterday. Mortlock faces six weeks on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on his knee cap. Mortlock hopes to be available for the Test against Italy on November 11th.