THERE are encouraging signs that most of the walking wounded after Scotland's clash with the All Blacks will be fit to stake their claims for places against Tonga this weekend.
Though the selectors had yet to meet, Matt Taylor, the defence coach, hinted last night that continuity is likely to outweigh any desire to experiment.
"We need to finish this Autumn series off really well; if we do a good job and perform really well at the weekend, we would have had a successful Autumn series," he said. "We want to continue with the momentum and, apart from Mark Bennett, everyone is pretty much on track."
Not that anyone will underestimate Tonga. Not only did they win 21-15 when the teams met two years ago in Aberdeen, but they are arriving with confidence high on the back of good wins over Georgia and the USA, while they have also drafted in the World Cup-winning coach Jake White and his influence seems to be paying off.
It is a game that matters to Scotland, and not just for historic or confidence-boosting reasons. Next year, the World Cup match against Samoa is almost certain to decide whether Scotland progress to the knockout stage or head home early. All the planned games between now and the tournament are against fellow Europeans, so this will be the last chance to experience that special blend of aggression, skill and flair that Pacific Island teams bring.
"A lot of [Pacific] Island teams have many similar aspects," Taylor agreed. "They like using the ball and they've got a lot of flair. Tonga scored two excellent tries from turnovers against the USA, and they're very dangerous from unstructured, broken play. There are a lot of similarities [to Samoa].
"Jake White may have had an influence on them already. I can see certain patterns he used in the past with the Brumbies and South Africa and he's maybe added a bit more structure to their game."
Taylor also believes Scotland have turned a corner. "There's real confidence in the group; we've got a group of players who athletically can mix it with anyone in the world," he said. "We've built some very good depth and we've got genuine pressure in a lot of positions. It lends itself to being a pretty good next couple of years. We've lifted our levels both in attack and defence."
It is a message echoed by the most experienced player in the squad, Sean Lamont - he insists that, as the oldest member, Euan Murray is the true "squad father" - who is determined to make sure that this time the promising start does not become a false dawn.
"It is very important for Scottish rugby in general that, after pushing the All Blacks close, we keep kicking on," he said. "The squad has got some real depth that maybe we have not had for a long time; it is a good place to be. There is some real pride and passion in the jersey.
"We have gone back to the drawing board and had a look at ourselves. We have built proper foundations and culture. We are only custodians of the jersey. We have looked back at the history, the players lost in the world wars. It is something we are trying to create to push forward not just for the squad but for those to come. It has put a focus on us, and that really showed."
On the other hand, after 90 caps, Lamont knows as well as anyone there have been encouraging campaigns and none has produced the breakthrough. "There has been plenty of talk in the past about we are going to do this, going to do that. The fact is we are at a point where we can realise our potential. We have to back it up this weekend otherwise it is just talk again. I have been here before," he said.
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