Scotland v New Zealand: Finn Russell will relish All Blacks test - Mike Blair

Finn Russell is one of only six players in the Scotland side to have faced New Zealand before

Scotland fly-half Finn Russell will relish the opportunity to test himself against All Blacks counterpart Beauden Barrett on Saturday, says Mike Blair.

Barrett is considered among the world's best, if not the best, in his position.

He has again been nominated for World Rugby's Player of the Year, having already won the award in 2016.

"Finn Russell loves the challenge," said assistant coach Blair, who believes Russell will be motivated to see how his game measures up.

"This is a great opportunity for him to put himself up against one of the best 10s in the world and see how he goes. I expect him to rise to that."

The All Blacks have named a strong team for Saturday's Test, which features another World Player of the Year nominee in wing Rieko Ioane.

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Blair says Steve Hansen's team selection is testament to the regard the All Blacks have for this Scotland team, who are ranked sixth in the world rankings.

"I think it's great for Scottish rugby," said Blair, the former scrum-half who won 85 Scotland caps.

"I think it's great for the players going out there playing against the best team, a lot of the best individuals in the world. It's great for our crowd to see them.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for us to mark ourselves up against them to see exactly where we are.

"We've had some fantastic results, we beat Australia in the summer. We're chuffed to bits with the team they've put out."

Scotland ran New Zealand close in 2014, but Alex Dunbar says they 'have developed a lot' since

On New Zealand's last visit to Murrayfield in 2014, the Scots briefly flirted with a famous maiden win over the All Blacks.

Captain Greig Laidlaw kicked Scotland within a point but then passed up a relatively straightforward penalty chance to give the Scots the lead going into the final 10 minutes. Lock Jeremy Thrush crashed over late on to seal a 24-16 win for the visitors.

Centre Alex Dunbar feels the experience the Scotland team has gathered since that match will stand them in good stead for Saturday.

"We have developed a lot," said Dunbar, who will win his 28th cap. "At the time there was a lot of younger guys who had just a couple of international games.

"Now a lot of guys have 20-30 caps. We have more experience as a group.

"It is a big challenge. They are number one in the world and play great rugby.

"We know how quick they want to play, at a high tempo. We need to impose ourselves on the game. If we sit back and let them do their thing, it will be a long afternoon and we will struggle."