New Zealand 'are not Gods' says Scotland wing Rory Lamont

New Zealand named a strong line-up yesterday for tomorrow's EMC Autumn Test match (5.15pm ko) with recent 'World Players of the Year' Richie McCaw and Dan Carter part of a seven-man spine that starts a third Test match inside 15 days.

They also included Keven Mealamu, the hooker banned for four weeks after launching himself head-first into Lewis Moody, the England flanker, at Twickenham on Saturday. New Zealand are appealing the ban, insisting Mealamu is one of the cleanest players in the game and so announced his name alongside that of debutant Hika Elliot. The appeal should be heard today and for all that Mealamu is a very personable and humble man off the field, the sentence was lenient and he should have no hope of having it lifted.

Lamont has always been a confident individual and this is his first meeting with New Zealand, but even All Blacks coach Graham Henry said yesterday that he detected a new belief in the Scotland squad. The winger insisted it was not mere bravado.

"Sometimes in Scotland, players get criticised when they come out and say that they believe we can win all three (autumn] games," Lamont said. "But, if I didn't genuinely believe that we could beat the All Blacks, then there would be no point in me being here.

"I'm a professional sportsman and I break my balls during the week to try to make sure that when I come to the weekend, I can play to the best of my abilities and beat my opposite man. It's the same for the team. We have improved a hell of a lot. We know that New Zealand are an unbelievably talented team, the best team in the world, so we know we're up against it, but we still have to believe that if we perform to the best of our ability then we can compete. We know that they are not Gods. They are just human, and they make mistakes, like anyone else."

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Lamont has an inside track on the player New Zealand rugby is raving about, Sonny Bill Williams, who moves to inside centre tomorrow in what will be only his second international match. Lamont played alongside him when the Kiwi quit rugby league and joined French club Toulon, before heading back to New Zealand in the summer to push for an All Blacks cap, via a couple of national boxing bouts.

"There's no doubt that he's a very talented player", said Lamont. "He's got all the raw ability and the skills to be world-class, but he is on a steep learning curve. Last weekend was his first experience of international rugby, and it's a bit of a different pace.

"He's had a couple of seasons in Toulon, but he had a bad injury while he was there so he didn't play as much as he might have done and Test rugby is different from what he experienced in France. It can be a little bit slower there.

"He has got the X factor. We've all seen his off-loading ability, and I'd probably say that he's the best at that I've seen, but people need to give him a chance to settle in. We certainly are not just focusing on him when there are 14 other guys on the pitch to look at who can do just as much damage. I am looking forward to getting on the field and trying to put him under pressure, but we're not going to give him special treatment."

That was the common theme in Lamont's interview yesterday. Respect, yes, but treat them as something special, no.

"There can be a bit of an aura around the All Blacks, partly because they can play some breathtaking rugby, and when they're at their best it's beautiful to watch them," he continued. "But we treat them the same as any other team.

"We can see that they do have weaknesses in their game – that's evident for all to see. You only have to speak to the Australians to know that. They have maybe been a little bit shaken by that loss to Australia because they didn't seem quite their assured selves against England.

"Maybe it was the hectic travel schedule, but we know there are areas we can target."