IT was in 2012 that Mark Dodson, not long installed as the Scottish Rugby Union’s chief executive, announced a plan that included winning this year’s World Cup. At the time his statement was widely dismissed as laughable at worst, unrealistic at best, and in the intervening three years nothing has happened to make it appear more plausible.

And yet for Stuart Hogg, who makes his first appearance of the warm-up series against Italy today, the administrator’s ambition is one that the players must share. Never mind the fact that the current Scotland team are tenth in the world rankings, or that they failed to reach the quarter-finals at the last World Cup: as far as Hogg is concerned, anyone selected to play in the tournament has to be in it to win it.

“Mark Dodson set the goals very early on,” the Glasgow full-back said. “He said he wants to win the World Cup and that’s very much in our focus and our mind set.

“We’re not going there to make up the numbers and we know we have a tough pool to try and qualify from. Every game will be a massive challenge for us, but the boys are excited about it. We’re relishing what’s ahead of us.

“Listen, you’re not going to a World Cup thinking it’ll be fine just to get out of the pool stages. Like everyone else we’re going there to win.

“There’s a long way to go and it has to be game by game. All of that is on the back burner, but that’s the target. If we can get to the knockout stages we’ll take it from there.”

There have been occasions at past World Cups where some Scotland players and coaches have appeared content with reaching the quarter-finals - the team’s minimum achievement every time bar 2011. Perhaps because he is both more gifted and more drifted than those predecessors, Hogg has no interest in setting such limited goals. As part of a Glasgow team that over the past few seasons has gone from PRO12 champions to also-rans, he sees no reason to settle for second best at any level.

Having sat out the first two warm-up games, Hogg has not played since that PRO12 final at the end of May. It would be fair to say that, after two months in training camp, he is raring to go.

“It has been a long pre-season, but I’m delighted to be back,” he said. “It has been tough but enjoyable. You’ve seen in the first couple of games we’ve been reaping the benefits of this. We’re looking sharp. The boys who are back this week have had an extra couple of weeks’ pre-season and we’re ready to go.”

Scotland will hardly throw caution to the wind against Italy this afternoon, but, with some of their best attacking players such as Finn Russell and Mark Bennett as well as Hogg back in the line-up, we can expect them to be less ponderous than the team was for much of last week’s 16-12 win in Turin. An increased tempo paid dividends in the end in that game, which was won by a late try from Henry Pyrgos, and it had also been a profitable ploy at the start of the second half. So with someone as fast and elusive as Hogg in the team this time, we can expect a bit more adventure when appropriate.

“Last week we were tighter,” he added. “This week we’re going to get a little bit wider and bring the back three into the game. I’d like that anyway.”