Grant Gilchrist has backed his Edinburgh teammate Blair Kinghorn to take over as Scotland's No. 10 in the Autumn Series in place of Finn Russell.

After Gregor Townsend controversially chose not to select Russell for the upcoming Autumn Series, Kinghorn is set to play at fly-half in Saturday's Test against Australia at home.

Although the pair have had a strained relationship for some time, the head coach implied the Racing 92 playmaker was lacking in "form and consistency."

Townsend will instead put his trust in Kinghorn, and Gilchrist dismissed any fears that the 25-year-old, who only converted to fly-half last year, would struggle with the scrutiny he will face over the next month.

"I see Blair every day, and I see the improvement in his game at 10," Gilchrist said. "He's one of the most influential players and personalities in our Edinburgh squad." We rely heavily on him, and I know what he can bring.

"When he does that and applies it to this situation, I have no doubt in his ability to lead the attack and boss the game as a 10." "His talent speaks for itself."

Scotland's'main focus' is consistency.

Scotland have flattered to deceive this year after an encouraging run of form through 2021.

Lock Gilchrist admits that if they are to compete with the top nations on a consistent basis, they must improve their consistency in key moments.

"We've shown in most, if not all, of the games we've played that when we get the best version of ourselves, we're good enough to beat any team," he said. "I have no doubt about it. Our consistency has been lacking.

"That's what we're aiming for: how can we get the best version of ourselves on the field through training and games? There will be critical minutes in which we must be very good and ruthless.

"We had some big moments go against us through 2022, and if we had been better in those pressure situations, the results would have been very different. That consistency is the main focus. And we need to be really good in the big moments in Test matches. In those situations, the best teams excel.

"What we've looked at is our reaction to things going wrong in a game. There is no such thing as a perfect 80-minute performance, but the best teams recover and do not repeat mistakes. You can't keep making mistakes.

"It's about having that switch and the ability to make the right decisions at the right times. In game, we must find those solutions. That's how we grow as a team, and it starts with the seniors."

Scotland has won the last three meetings with Australia, including a 15-13 victory last November at BT Murrayfield.

"Our recent record has been outstanding," Gilchrist said, "but every time we play at home, we feel the responsibility to perform, for our country and for the people watching there or at home." "The record doesn't change anything; I'm sure they'll come after us."

"That feeling that they owe us one, we have to be ready for that." We've had outstanding performances against them, but it takes more than that; they're a world-class team led by world-class coaches. We're not fooling ourselves; this has to be our best performance."