Scotland set to be tried and tested

IT is something of a surreal situation when the thing that matters least heading into a full Test match is the result.

But that is the position both France, the hosts in Nice tonight, and Scotland find themselves in as their Rugby World Cup preparations step up a gear.

Of course, players are by nature competitive and when the whistle goes to start the game there are 30 men on the field and another 16 waiting to come on who are going to hammer themselves to the last breath to win. It is just that in the bigger picture the result will scarcely even merit a footnote in history.

You saw that four years ago when Scotland’s World Cup preparations wrapped up in Paris. An 80th-minute penalty in front of the posts handed them a decision whether to accept a draw or go for a win – they opted to run the ball, got nowhere and the scoreline finished 19-16 against them. All the same, the mere fact of being in a position to decide whether or not to gamble was enough to raise confidence levels a notch ahead of the tournament proper.

Neither side, after all, are at full strength. There are experiments in both XVs and neither management has wasted time on tactics specifically designed to counter opposition strengths.

“They have picked a good side, a strong side,” was the verdict from Danny Wilson, the Scotland forwards coach on the opposition. “That’s great – an away game in France against a strong side will give us really good opposition.

“It is our first hit-out. It’s still a Test match and everyone wants to win, but it is also a chance to get people on the field, look at different combinations, try things.

“Any Test match, you want to win. Winning breeds confidence and gives you a stepping stone going into the