ZIMBABWE-BORN eighthman David Denton will this afternoon make his inaugural starting XV appearance for Scotland when they host rivals England in the RBS Six Nations rugby opener at Murrayfield. The 21-year-old won his first cap for Scotland as a second-half substitute in the EMC Test win against Ireland at the same venue last August with his side winning 10-6 in the Rugby World Cup warm-up match.

Born in Zimbabwe, Denton qualified for Scottish citizenship through his mother who was born in Glasgow but the loose forward attended school in the Western Cape in South Africa before moving to Edinburgh University to study economics three years ago.

He feels he is very privileged to be playing for Scotland.

"Because the first game is against England, that makes it even bigger.

"A lot of people grow up dreaming of playing for Scotland against England at Murrayfield.

"I grew up wanting to play for Scotland so I shared that dream. It should be an incredible experience.

"It feels like a natural progression and that's good. I don't want to go out there and feel like it is my first Six Nations game, I want to go out and feel like it is natural for me to be there."

However, life has moved so fast for the Zimbabwean that in just three years he has moved to claim a starting jersey in a match every Scottish boy dreams of playing in - against England.

"The last few months have been pretty incredible and I just want to move on from here and keep going.

"It's now about taking that to the next level and I'm hoping to do that on Saturday (today).

"I'm trying as well as I can to take it in my stride. I want to go out there and feel like I'm meant to be here and feel comfortable in my shoes.

"My job in the team is to get my hands on the ball and get us on the front foot so what I've got to do is get my hands on the ball early, get myself into the game and help the boys get a bit of momentum going forward.

"We've been playing well, training's been going really well and things are looking sharp. It's a great opportunity for us to stake our claim in the competition," he wrote on his web blog.

Denton was part of the extended Scotland rugby side for the World Cup but was not fortunate to make the cut.

"It was tough at the time and I was disappointed," he told the Scottish media.

"But, to be honest, it was a bit too early for me. I had played seven games for Edinburgh so I didn't have much experience of top-level rugby at that time.

"I feel a lot more confident now having played 20-odd games for Edinburgh. I am comfortable with my role in the team and am confident I can make the step up.

"(Coach) Andy (Robinson) said the World Cup came a month too early for me, which was true.

"I was ready to play international rugby then, but I'm in a lot better place now in terms of my playing ability and mental approach. It was a bit surreal how quickly it happened, but I've always been confident in my ability. I knew I was capable of the step up and I was just waiting for the opportunity.

"Once it came I didn't want to waste any time being too nervous about it all. So I just went out there and played as well as I could," he said.

In his first months in Scotland he played for the Edinburgh Accies Second XV, then the Accies first before signing a contract with his current club where he was selected for the Scotland Sevens side.

He helped Scotland lift the 2010/11 Emirates Airline South Africa 7s Bowl having lost 28-17 to Zimbabwe Bowl Semi-final in Dubai.

ZIMBABWE-BORN eighthman David Denton will this afternoon make his inaugural starting XV appearance for Scotland when they host rivals England in the RBS Six Nations rugby opener at Murrayfield. The 21-year-old won his first cap for Scotland as a second-half substitute in the EMC Test win against Ireland at the same venue last August with his side winning 10-6 in the Rugby World Cup warm-up match.

Born in Zimbabwe, Denton qualified for Scottish citizenship through his mother who was born in Glasgow but the loose forward attended school in the Western Cape in South Africa before moving to Edinburgh University to study economics three years ago.

He feels he is very privileged to be playing for Scotland.

"Because the first game is against England, that makes it even bigger.

"A lot of people grow up dreaming of playing for Scotland against England at Murrayfield.

"I grew up wanting to play for Scotland so I shared that dream. It should be an incredible experience.

"It feels like a natural progression and that's good. I don't want to go out there and feel like it is my first Six Nations game, I want to go out and feel like it is natural for me to be there."

However, life has moved so fast for the Zimbabwean that in just three years he has moved to claim a starting jersey in a match every Scottish boy dreams of playing in - against England.

"The last few months have been pretty incredible and I just want to move on from here and keep going.

"It's now about taking that to the next level and I'm hoping to do that on Saturday (today).

"I'm trying as well as I can to take it in my stride. I want to go out there and feel like I'm meant to be here and feel comfortable in my shoes.

"My job in the team is to get my hands on the ball and get us on the front foot so what I've got to do is get my hands on the ball early, get myself into the game and help the boys get a bit of momentum going forward.

"We've been playing well, training's been going really well and things are looking sharp. It's a great opportunity for us to stake our claim in the competition," he wrote on his web blog.

Denton was part of the extended Scotland rugby side for the World Cup but was not fortunate to make the cut.

"It was tough at the time and I was disappointed," he told the Scottish media.

"But, to be honest, it was a bit too early for me. I had played seven games for Edinburgh so I didn't have much experience of top-level rugby at that time.

"I feel a lot more confident now having played 20-odd games for Edinburgh. I am comfortable with my role in the team and am confident I can make the step up.

"(Coach) Andy (Robinson) said the World Cup came a month too early for me, which was true.

"I was ready to play international rugby then, but I'm in a lot better place now in terms of my playing ability and mental approach. It was a bit surreal how quickly it happened, but I've always been confident in my ability. I knew I was capable of the step up and I was just waiting for the opportunity.

"Once it came I didn't want to waste any time being too nervous about it all. So I just went out there and played as well as I could," he said.

In his first months in Scotland he played for the Edinburgh Accies Second XV, then the Accies first before signing a contract with his current club where he was selected for the Scotland Sevens side.

He helped Scotland lift the 2010/11 Emirates Airline South Africa 7s Bowl having lost 28-17 to Zimbabwe Bowl Semi-final in Dubai.