 Hadden is in upbeat mood again |
Scotland coach Frank Hadden insists his side can defy expectations and produce another strong Six Nations campaign. The Scots are without injured captain Jason White, with several other players on the comeback trail after injuries.
"It is not ideal, but it is a fantastic opportunity for guys to put their hands up for the World Cup," said Hadden, who led the Scots to third place last year.
"You play the hand you are dealt and I expect us to make continued progress even if we are not at full strength."
A year ago, Scotland stunned eventual champions France in their opening fixture and also beat England at Murrayfield before ending their campaign with a first Six Nations away win for four years, against Italy in Rome.
 | There was never any question of Rory Lawson's potential. He has always been a fine player |
"We didn't really surprise ourselves," noted Hadden, who had said beforehand he felt the Scots were "on the verge of one of their periods of tremendous over-achievement". "We set ourselves some targets and we did reasonably well - and we have to build on that now.
"We have got some new targets and we want to continue to be more competitive. There was enough evidence during November to make us believe we are continuing to make progress.
"After last year's Six Nations, we knew we had to improve our set-piece and we have made real progress there.
"We wanted to score more tries and we have scored 23 in our last six matches, so I think we have ticked a lot of boxes."
Hadden will be closely monitoring Friday's Magners League matches, with several Scotland contenders due to return to action a week before the Six Nations kick-off.
Scrum-half Chris Cusiter is "way ahead of schedule" in his recovery from shoulder surgery and will play for Border Reivers against Newport-Gwent Dragons.
Flanker Ally Hogg and winger Simon Webster will also feature for Edinburgh against Connacht.
| SIX NATIONS BLOG BBC Scotland's John Beattie |
If Cusiter proves his fitness and form, he could go straight back into the side for the Calcutta Cup clash with England next Saturday. But, with first-choice Mike Blair sidelined for at least the first two matches, Gloucester's Rory Lawson could also win a place in the 22 at Twickenham, where Scotland have not won since 1983.
Hadden released Lawson in his time as Edinburgh coach but insists he would be happy to hand him his Six Nations debut.
"Rory needed more opportunity to play matches because he wasn't starting as many games as he would have liked," he added.
"But there was never any question of his potential. He has always been a fine player. He just needed to play and that is why I let him go to Gloucester.
"If you can perform well at Heineken Cup level, as he has been doing, then there is no doubt you are ready for international rugby."
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Interview: Scotland head coach Frank Hadden