BY common consent, Scotland have yet to play at their best during the Rugby World Cup. They have been scintillating in spells, and torpid at times, but have yet to put in a complete performance - as the players themselves have been the first to admit.

There are two ways of looking at such inconsistency. The negative reading is that should it continue the team will be in trouble, if not against Samoa on Saturday in their last Pool B game, then in the quarter-final that will follow if they win this weekend. The more positive outlook is that if they do manage to fire on all cylinders any time soon, they could really go to town on one or more opponents.

“We have done a lot of positive things, but I think there’s absolutely the sense and the feeling there’s much more to come from this team,” is how Tommy Seymour assessed the situation. “There’s a clinical side to this squad, and you saw that in the way we scored our tries in the first two games.

“There are tries in this team and we’ve great confidence in the boys’ abilities. It’s an exciting group to be a part of and when you look around you are excited by what you see.

“Yet there’s no doubt we haven’t come close to peaking as a set of players, and that can only spur us on. It’s about squeezing every last ounce of effort and ability out of ourselves against Samoa.”

At least Scotland have been getting things the right way round when it comes to only playing at their best for part of each game. There have been occasions when the national side has begun brightly only to fall away badly during the later stages of matches, particularly against more highly ranked teams, but this squad is fitter than its predecessors and has got stronger as games go on.

Against both Japan and the United States, that produced a second-half scoreline of 33-3 in favour of Vern Cotter’s side, which meant that both those matches were won well - 45-10 and 39-16 respectively. Even against South Africa, in a game which ended in a 34-16 defeat, the Springboks, who had been 20-3 up at the break, edged the second half by just a single point.

That still left Scotland a long way off winning, but it provided further evidence that they have the stamina to go the distance. The important thing now, as Seymour acknowledged, is that the team play well from the start, rather than relying on more second-half comebacks.

“Although we’ve had a lot of positives from scoring a lot of tries in the first two games, I still think this is a group of players that expects more from themselves,” the Glasgow Warriors winger said. “We haven’t played as a team for 80 minutes, and that’s something we’re targeting this weekend. We’ve got another opportunity and it’s well overdue. The guys who go out will be looking to do it consistently for 80 minutes.

“It’s one of those things we’ve talked about, because it’s been relevant after our first three matches. There’s no definitive answer to solving the problem, otherwise we’d go out there and do it.

“There needs to be a real focus on what we do when we get it right and what we do when we get it wrong. We need to integrate the entire team and be in a situation where everyone is comfortable on the ball and in the way we’re trying to play. It’s about doing the simple things well, as quickly as possible, because that’s when you start to grow into the game. If the confidence is high the rest should follow.”

While some members of the squad have talked of treating the Samoa match as just another game of rugby, Seymour believes there also has to be an awareness of the magnitude of the occasion. “You’ve got to focus. You hear boys say it’s one game at a time and it has to be that way. You try and distant yourself from the outside and what’s happening around you. We’ll be doing all we can to stay focused on the game.

“All that being said, at the back of your mind there has to be an understanding and appreciation of what you’re taking part in and what’s at stake. Those small things can impact in a positive way in terms of people delivering when it matters.

“There’s a lot at stake and you have to bear that in mind. You have to concentrate on that aspect. Of course, you have to play the game like it’s any other game of rugby, because you can’t lose your head, that’s for sure.”

If Scotland win on Saturday, they will play either Australia or Wales, both of whom have already qualified. Given the length of Wales’ injury list, a quarter-final meeting with them rather than the Wallabies would appear to offer Scotland a better chance of reaching the last four for the first time since 1991, but Seymour declined an invitation to look that far ahead and say who he would like to play against next weekend.

“I’ve not really thought about it - we have to focus on Samoa. Both teams have played some outstanding rugby and they’ll both be pretty tricky opposition if we get over the line against Samoa. Either would provide one hell of a test, but I’d like to think we could provide the same for them.”