IT has been a brutal couple of weeks for the Scotland World Cup squad encompassing fitness work, altitude training, skills sessions and military-style team bonding.

Enough, in short, to test every player's commitment to the cause. Throughout it all, says Ross Ford, a veteran of two previous campaigns, one player who has stood out, throwing himself into it all with total commitment and not a hint of complaint is one who is not even qualified to play - yet.

Willem Nel - WP to his friends and colleagues - won't qualify for his adopted country for another two weeks but, according to Ford, those watching him train are in no doubt about what it means for him to get the chance to pull on the blue shirt, despite being brought up aiming for the green of South Africa.

"WP has really stood out, he's been going for it big-style, throwing weights about and showing in the last two or three weeks what it means for him to be playing at international level," said Ford. "They have all got an ambition to play, so if they want to put the work in, which they have, we have no qualms about that. They know what we're about and how to act on the pitch. What they do in training lets everyone know how committed they are to the jersey.

"WP is hard to wind up but when he goes, well, he does. He's very level-headed and we don't have to go down that road with him. He's a competitive character."

Outside the camp, it has been a bone of contention in some quarters that there could be three players at the World Cup with no Scottish ancestry. Tim Visser, the wing, was the first to get there when he was capped in 2012; Nel, a tighthead prop, completes his three-year residency this month, but Josh Strauss, the back row, will not qualify until a few days before the tournament starts in September and if he does make the squad will have done so without having played any of the warm-up matches.

By kick-off time on September 23, when Scotland start their campaign against Japan, they will all be available and the smart money is they will all be in the squad, taking advantage of a little programme put together by their colleagues to understand the values of the squad and the culture and heritage they believe the Scotland national rugby team stand for.

It is a recent development, Ford said, but not one there specifically for the players who have come in from outside: "We had something put together for the new boys coming in during the Six Nations," he said. "We sat down as a squad and went over it and that will continue. That's regardless of whether you're new or have been around for a while. Everyone sits down and watches it and it just reminds you of who you're representing and what we're about.

"It's for us as a squad. It's our thing and will stay with us. It's special for us."

Equally interested in the programme have been the other un-capped players drafted into the squad and hoping to show they are good enough to make the final cut. "It has been good to see them in a different environment, with boys they're not usually around," Ford said. "It's good for everybody to have fresh faces and more competition. They've come in and bedded in well and are just getting on with the work now.

"It's pre-season and everybody has got a point to prove. They all want to be in the squad when it's picked and then everyone wants to be in the first match to allow you to stamp your authority. It's competitive. So it's all good fun just now but everyone has that desire to be in the squad and on the pitch."

The other significant aspect of that is just how often Ford talks about the amount of fun they have been having, even at this early stage in the training, which is always all about fitness and players slogging their guts. Even the gym monkeys usually dread it, but not this year.

What seems to have changed is that Vern Cotter, the head coach, has been merging the training systems current in the UK with those he saw and used first hand in France. All the slog and concentration on strength and fitness that is part and parcel of the British approach, all the ball-handling and skills work they adopt in France where practice revolves around using the ball.

"I'm enjoying this a lot because it's more skill-based," admitted Ford. "Vern [Cotter] made a good point in training - 'don't take yourself seriously but take the job seriously'. He's looking for boys to have a good time and have fun but we need to work hard at what we're here to do. The boys take that seriously and respect the opportunity that we've got.

"We've seen a lot more of the rugby ball which has been good. At the end of the day we're here to play rugby, not just to lift bits of steel. We've focused on the physical aspect in the past. It was about being as big and as strong as we could be, but it's more skill-based just now and everyone is really enjoying it.

"We're looking to make as many strides as we can now because when we start the tournament there's not going to be massive improvements in the days between games. We have to make those strides now to catch up with the top nations and try to put some distance between ourselves and others in our pool.

"Teams are together a lot longer so, looking at sides you might say were second or third-tier, they have been together so long that there is not a massive gap. With the short turnaround it is difficult to build momentum. You've got to start well and that's what we're doing here."