LET'S be honest, when you are an attacking full-back like Stuart Hogg, your bread and butter comes from the opposition fly-half who peppers you with kicks that also present you with a bit of space to run in.

Which can make a team like Japan a bit annoying to play against. They don't kick. Or at least they rarely kick and most of those are touchfinders rather than the kinds of speculative probes downfield that seem to the stock in trade of European fly-halves. If Hogg gets more than a couple of chances to run from deep to test the Japanese kick chase, he can count himself lucky.

Fortunately he has the answer. Every team will kick for position sooner or later if they are getting nowhere every time they try to run at the opposition defence. So if the Scots can get on top, and frustrate Japan's handling game, then it would end the prospect of a long and frustrating evening for Hogg and his fellows in the back three. Easier said than done, though.

"Obviously we have analysed them and they don't kick a lot," he said. "We have to be spot-on in our defence to force them to kick. It might be frustrating at times not getting the ball in hand, but when the chance comes you have to be able to read the situation and not be selfish.

"Here's hoping our defence is on point and they do have to kick the ball. They do try to keep the ball in hand so it is going to take a lot to break them down. I will just have to wait patiently, I think."

It all puts a lot more onus on him to get involved in the creative side of the back division as a unit. Historically, it has not always been a role he appreciated, with his more selfish tendencies getting in the way, but as the Six Nations proved he has matured and has added the vital element of teamwork to his abilities as an individual runner.

"I believe we are coming on leaps and bounds," he said. "We have worked incredibly hard from the pretty much this time last year, the World Cup and the Six Nations. I do believe we are always improving, there is a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes and it is always a pleasure to be part of this Scotland side. We are here to work hard, get victories and enjoy ourselves while we are here.

"Japan are always improving as well, they have some fantastic individual players and collectively they are very strong as well, so it is going to be a massive test of us this weekend but one the boys are ready for and excited by. They were a fantastic defensive side when we played them in the World Cup. It was a bit frustrating at times but they had a solid defence that we had to work hard to score points against. They all tackled very, very low. It seemed to be right across the squad though there were also a couple of big hitters. I guess we'll just have to try to avoid them."

If they can get all that right then there is no reason he can't add to the two tries, three assists, 365 metres gained, and 17 clean breaks that he accumulated during the Six Nations, particularly since he is feeling fresh and ready for anything after a month off.

"The break came at the right time," he said. "We would rather the season had gone on a bit longer but these things happen. Ahead of the summer tour it is always good to get a little break, refresh the mind and go again. It is another challenge for us to get the two victories so I guess the break came at the right time.

"I played in a very good Scotland side during the World Cup and Six Nations and for me our game plan was brilliant – to try to play the game at high tempo, getting the backs, and the back three in particular, into the game. There were a lot of opportunities for us to get the ball in hand, which is exactly what we want as backs. Thankfully we finished off some good scores and got two good victories as well. We just have to try to build on that and get excited about the challenges ahead."