Who’s in charge?

New Zealander Vern Cotter took over in time for the 2014 summer tour and had a good first few months in the job before losing all five games in last year’s Six Nations. He showed at the Rugby World Cup, however, that he had got the players to buy into his game plan, and is confident that they can continue the improvement this year.

He now has his own coaching team in place, having brought Jason O’Halloran over from New Zealand to coach the backs, and having signed Richie Gray as a consultant for the Six Nations. Gray, a former Gala captain and age-group international who was an assistant coach with the Springboks during the World Cup, has been hired as a defensive contact specialist.

Encouraging World Cup?

Yes. They reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup thanks to wins over Japan, the United States and Samoa - the last a close-run thing in which victory was achieved thanks in large part to the excellent leadership of captain Greig Laidlaw. They then lost by a point to Australia in the last eight, having led by two points with just a couple of minutes to play before referee Craig Joubert erroneously awarded a penalty with which the Wallabies won the game.

That campaign followed a series of four World Cup warm-up games, two of which were won - home and away against Italy - and two lost, to Ireland and France. The Italy wins were welcome relief after that 2015 Six Nations in which they lost all five games.

How are they looking now?

Cotter and his coaching team have identified the areas of the game that the squad needs to improve on - hence the appointment of Richie Gray - and appear confident that the players can continue to mature. Self-belief is as high going into the Championship as it has been for years, thanks above all to the players’ conviction that they could and should have won through to the World Cup semi-final.

Who’s in, who’s out?

Blindside flanker Al Strokosch retired from international rugby after the World Cup, joining lock Jim Hamilton, who called it a day after being left out of the squad for that tournament. Several players who were in the World Cup squad are currently out injured, while some may have their returns delayed until the second or third weekend of the tournament.

The main concern is at centre, where three Glasgow players - Alex Dunbar, Peter Horne and Matt Bennett - have all been on the injury list. Warriors scrum-half Henry Pyrgos, who emerged as a reliable back-up to Greig Laidlaw during the World Cup, has been out for months, as has Edinburgh lock Grant Gilchrist. Glasgow No 8 Adam Ashe was released to his club along with Dunbar last week after it was accepted that neither would be fit for the Calcutta Cup match.

Two uncapped props, Glasgow tighthead Zander Fagerson and Edinburgh loosehead Rory Sutherland, have been called into the squad - Sutherland was a very late call-up for the World Cup but did not get into the matchday squad for the quarter-finals. John Barclay, the Scarlets back-row forward, is also back in favour after being omitted from the World Cup squad.

Where are they strong?

The pack, particularly the front row, is the strongest it has been for decades. The all-Edinburgh front row of Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford and WP Nel has emerged as a world-class trio, while lock Jonny Gray is recognised as one of the greatest talents to emerge from Scotland in some time. Openside John Hardie is another vital performer up front. Behind the scrum, backs such as Finn Russell, Mark Bennett and Stuart Hogg are all real dangers in attack, while scrum-half and captain Greig Laidlaw has grown in stature - metaphorically if not literally - during Cotter’s reign.

Where are they weak?

The small playing pool from which Scotland can select means they are always very susceptible to disruption by injuries. When several occur in one position, as is the case at present with the centres, the balance of the team and the choice of game plan can be affected.

The World Cup showed that the team can also lack composure in crucial moments of big games. They played poorly at first against both Japan and the USA, and were close to being knocked out of the tournament by Samoa.

Key player

Finn Russell. In common with Warriors team-mates such as Hogg, the 23-year-old stand-off has struggled to find consistent form since returning to domestic action following the World Cup. On his day, however, he is an inspiring playmaker, whose versatility keeps defences guessing. He has the vision to pick out potential opponents out wide, and the change of pace to be able to go for a gap himself, as well as relishing his defensive duties.

Who will they be worried about?

Wales. Defeat by the Welsh in last year’s second round of fixtures, and the ban incurred by Russell, sent the Scots on a downward spiral which lasted to the end of the tournament. A modest loss to England on Saturday would not be the end of the world, as victories in the fixture are few and far between, but if that was followed up by defeat in Cardiff Scotland’s confidence could begin to suffer. The pressure would then really be on them to get a result in Rome.

What will they be happy with?

Mid-table respectability.