Stuart Hogg's upbringing in rugby could be described as a process of total immersion, but the Hawick-bred full-back admitted that Scotland's 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in their Euro 2016 qualifier on Friday evening had refocused his thinking on what it means to play for your country.

"It's brilliant," said Hogg of the upbeat mood created by strong Scottish performances. "In the past you've had negative feedback and we've always been teams to be out there making up the numbers but for the rugby and the football, we're going in the right direction.

"First and foremost I concentrate on rugby, but I did watch the game on Friday night and, in general, we're looking at what it actually means to pull on a Scotland jersey. It means a hell of a lot to each and every one of us and we're actually putting in performances now that show we are proud of playing for this country."

Hogg, who ended last season in disgrace after being sent off against Wales, is one of a number of players who appear to have been rejuvenated by the arrival of Vern Cotter as head coach. The 22-year-old agreed that the mood in the camp is buoyant at the moment, even in the wake of a defeat by world champions New Zealand.

"The boys are high in confidence," said Hogg. "We're showing we can play rugby. Our defence was outstanding and our attack was good too; we're getting closer and closer every time. We're going in the right direction. Obviously, the result is a wee bit disappointing but we're in a good place.

"When you look back at previous performances, we've been stuffed by 40 and 50 points so it's good to be competing with these teams nowadays and on another day we could even have won it."

Asked about the shout of "Let's make history!" which was picked up on referee Romain Poite's microphone - and is believed to have been made by captain Greig Laidlaw - Hogg admitted that patriotism was playing a big part in shaping the outlook of the current squad.

"We've been looking back on our history and what it means to wear the Scotland jersey," he said. "It was a proud, proud performance from the boys. Everything we do, we do it for the thistle, the players and the country as well."

Hogg was in the team that suffered a humiliating loss at the hands of Tonga in Aberdeen two years ago, but the Glasgow player said that the defeat would not dominate their thinking as they prepare to face the Pacific islanders in Kilmarnock on Saturday.

"It was absolutely freezing in Aberdeen and the performance was nowhere near where it should have been," he said. "But that's in the past now and it's up to us to improve on that. We've had a good couple of weeks and we'll continue in that manner and hopefully get a good performance again next week.

"We've got young boys in the squad and hopefully, if they can all stay fit, it will be a team for many years to come. There's a lot of hard work to be done along the way but we're moving in the right direction and that's all you can ask for.

"We've set the bar at a high standard against Argentina and it's all about raising it now, not about dropping back to where we have been, but moving forward and being the best rugby nation we can be."