SCOTLAND opened their autumn Test series with a comfortable victory over a courageous but limited Romania side at Murrayfield.

Frank Hadden's side warmed up for the more exacting challenges posed by the Pacific Islanders and Australia by seeing off the visitors with plenty to spare.

Scotland next meet Romania in the World Cup in 10 months' time and, after this seven-try performance, Hadden will be confident of victory in that pool match next year.

Romania were the first opponents in Hadden's reign when he oversaw a 39-19 victory as interim coach in Bucharest last June and such has been the progress made since then that the visitors never looked like adding to the two wins they have enjoyed against Scotland, in 1991 and 1984.

That was despite Hadden fielding several new faces in his side with Glasgow's John Beattie earning his first cap at number eight in place of Simon Taylor - just back from injury - and Edinburgh's Rob Dewey making his debut in the centre alongside Marcus Di Rollo.

Edinburgh playmaker Phil Godman was also handed a first start at stand-off while Glasgow prop Euan Murray made his debut in the front row. Dewey's first touch in international rugby was a good one, the centre darting through a gap in the third minute and feeding Mike Blair to take the home side up to halfway in dangerous fashion before a loose piece of handling from Hugo Southwell stopped the move in its tracks.

Scotland captain Jason White refused the offer of two kickable penalties soon after as the Sale flanker instead went in search of a try to open his side's account.

The Romanians repelled that attack but the home side eventually broke their opponents' resistance in the 14th minute when Beattie crashed over for a debut try after White had attracted the attention of three tacklers.

Godman successfully added the conversion but Florin Vlaicu replied with a penalty . . . after Beattie was penalised for going over the top . . . to leave the score at 7-3 at the midpoint of the half.

Scotland immediately hit back, Southwell outpacing centre Catalin Dascalu on the outside before chipping over Vlaicu and collecting the ball to slide over for his sixth international try in the 21st minute.

Romania were penalised at a scrum five minutes later and White invited Godman to kick the straightforward penalty to move Scotland 153 ahead. Southwell extended Scotland's lead to 17 points when he dived over in the same corner for his second try of the match in the 36th minute after a fine break from the base of a ruck from scrum-half Blair.

Scotland had fielded almost an all-Edinburgh backline, with Northampton's Sean Lamont the odd man out, and three of the capital side's players combined for the fourth try of the match six minutes into the second period. Godman darted inside before feeding Simon Webster who in turn spread it to Dewey and he became the second debutant to cross for a try when he fended off two tacklers to skip over and move his side further ahead.

Vlaicu kicked a second penalty to double his side's tally while an event of more significance occurred in the 55th minute when James Hamilton replaced Nathan Hines to become the 1,000th player to be capped by Scotland.

Godman then got in on the try-scoring act when he skipped over for his first in international rugby after good work from Webster and Southwell.

Hooker Dougie Hall followed suit with his first try for Scotland in the 65th minute after the Edinburgh man was sent clear by a clever pass from replacement Chris Cusiter.

Cusiter, having to be satisfied with a role from the bench since Hadden took over and installed Blair as his scrum-half, danced over for Scotland's seventh try of the game following a slick handling move with replacement Chris Paterson to the fore.