Chris Cusiter Scotland scrum-half

Pretty much their entire team plays in the French league - top-level players used to high-intensity matches like we'll expect on Saturday.

They're tough up front - they're not one of the higher ranked nations but they will be tough to beat.

Murrayfield became a bit of a fortress in the Six Nations last season Chris Cusiter

Beating Scotland would be a real feather in their cap.

Personally, it's good to be back with the Scotland squad again and maybe you appreciate being involved a bit more after a period away.

I really wanted to get involved after being sidelined for five-and-a-half months with a pectoral muscle injury.

Missing out on the banter and everything that goes with it was difficult.

I just took a step back from rugby and did my rehab, hoping to get back into the game as soon as possible.

I also took some guitar lessons to take my mind off being injured and went on holiday.

I'm learning the guitar and a new guy at the Border Reivers, Brendon Daniel, and I keep the team happy with some music.

When I came back from injury I was raring to go and couldn't wait to return to training.

It's easy to get back into it once you're playing again but I would never take it for granted.

Scotland's form last season was better at home than it was away. Murrayfield became a bit of a fortress in the Six Nations and teams won't relish playing there.

It's difficult to pinpoint why it's hard for Scotland to win on our travels.

We play away from home with our clubs in the Magners League every other week and get used to winning.

Different hotels, changing rooms, away crowd - not hostile, but against us - maybe we're not as confident away from home.

Mike Blair and I enjoy a healthy rivalry - we're not the best of pals but we get on well enough Chris Cusiter on his fellow Scotland scrum-half

After facing the Pacific Islands a week earlier, Scotland play Australia on 25 November and we haven't beaten them in a while - since 1982 in fact.

But victories over France and England have given us confidence.

We have to find the kind of rhythm in our first two autumn tests to put us in a position to give the Aussies a good game.

Scotland don't perform well as favourites. We are expected to win against Romania, which is fair enough, and if we are consistently favourites we're doing something well.

But when we play in the Six Nations we're maybe not always favourites and sometimes that helps us raise our game.

My goal was to get back into the squad after missing the summer tour and I'd like to get back into the team and show Frank Hadden that I'm ready again for the job.

Mike Blair and I enjoy a healthy rivalry - we're not the best of pals but we get on well enough. I play for Border Reivers and Mike plays for Edinbugh Rugby.

Whoever is picked is not down to us. We're in it for the long haul. The big focus is the end of the season with the World Cup coming up.

We have to keep improving and trying to win - hopefully go there with some impetus and on the back of good form.

It's tough making predictions - if we can improve on our third in last year's Six Nations it would be tangible progress.

We have to be aiming for the quarter finals at the World Cup - anything beyond that would be a bonus.