"It has been just four short years since the last World Cup but it has felt more like several lifetimes for the poor put-upon supporters of Scottish rugby who have seen the game suffer while politics continue to dominate the back pages." Iain Morrison reports

Since 2003 Scottish Rugby has seen two head coaches, four chief executives and three chairman. The latest backstabbing between Edinburgh Rugby and the SRU was only settled, less than amicably, a short time ago so how the players are coping?

Pretty well, is the answer on the evidence of their match against Ireland which the Scots won by 5 tries to 2. Admittedly Eddie O'Sullivan's side had just two certainties from his starting line up (O'Driscoll and O'Connell) and two probables to boot (Flannery and Murphy) but still the giant Scot forwards gave them a torrid time for most of the match.

And there is the key to this Scotland squad, size really does matter. Frank Hadden has picked the biggest set of players that he can lay his hands on. Nathan Hines is huge and Jim Hamilton looks like his big brother. Twenty years ago Rob Dewey would have been playing lock but now the 6' 3" Fifer can be found in the centre where he plays alongside Andy Henderson, Nikki Walker, Sean and Rory Lamont who are not noticeably smaller.

Hooker Ross Ford is well over six feet tall and prop forward Euan Murray is the rock the binds the whole scrum. Admittedly it was against Ireland's second string but a Scotland tighthead actually attacked the opposition scrum! Even Murray's muscles have muscles. The whole squad is in the best shape, literally speaking, of their lives thanks to a few months of hard graft with conditioning coach Mark Bitcon. If the Scots surprise anyone during the course of this World Cup he will deserve as much credit as the next man.

So no one will bully the boys in blue but Scotland's problems lie elsewhere. After almost a decade of "should he, shouldn't he" debate Chris Paterson has finally been selected at his age group position of flyhalf. At U'21 level he was ousted by Gordon Ross but the Gala man has had the last laugh since Ross is one of the high-profile losers of this squad, left out along with Glasgow skipper Ally Kellock.

Paterson, who is never happier than with the ball in hand, will now offer Hadden an alternative to the kicking specialist Dan Parks. It is too early to say which pivot Hadden will go with for the must-win matches.

But that begs another question...just how many matches are crucial to Scotland? The Scots have never failed to make the quarterfinals of the World Cup, going one step better in 1991 when a Rob Andrew drop goal saw them off in reversal of the 1990 Grand Slam result.

So the quarterfinals are the obvious goal and to get there the Scots just need to win one match. Well, they actually need to win three but it is almost impossible to see them losing to Romania or new boys Portugal just as it is difficult to see them getting the better of tournament favourites New Zealand for what would be the first time in history.

The crunch game for Scotland comes against Italy, in St Etienne on 29th September at 9pm in the evening. That eighty minutes will effectively decide the reputation of this squad who will be eager to make amends for the Six Nations upset against the same foe. In that February match the Italians were 21-0 up after exactly seven minutes when two interception tries and another coming from the direct result of a charged-down kick gave Scotland the most disastrous start to an international match that anyone could remember.

The Scots failed woefully to deal with the Italians rush defence that day and just how they adjust in St Etienne will probably determine the outcome. Italy has a muscular pack and, if the Ireland match is anything to go by, Hadden is thinking of attacking the Azzurri at their strongest point.

So the Scots bring muscle and some strong runners to the game but there are plenty of weaknesses in the squad. They have to pick Gavin Kerr, a traditional tighthead on the other side of the scrum to ensure s stable platform. What Kerr offers in solidity he gives up in mobility, handling and the rest...David Sole he isn't.

In the backrow the only specialist openside flanker is Glasgow's John Barclay, uncapped and just twenty-two years old. A great prospect for the future but unlikely to force his way into the starting line up for the big games this time round.

The back line also has trouble finding its way to the opposition try line. They managed the feat on average just one a match during the Six Nations which is a poor return for all the possession the big boys won for them. The statistics showed that the Scots won as much ball as any other team in the opposition twenty-two but creativity was a problem which is one of the reasons that Paterson has been handed the number ten shirt.

The most naturally talented footballer of his generation Paterson's experience of playing flyhalf at international level is extremely limited. Ian McGeechan played him there in RWC'03 but only when Scotland's backs were against the wall. At the time he stated that only now, in the middle of the tournament, was Paterson ready to take on the role. In fairness Hadden has given the versatile player more game time in the key role but he is still in Kindergarten classes compared to the Wilkinsons and Larkhams of this world cup.

It is perhaps foolhardy to look beyond the pool match but the Scots have a proud history to uphold and they will fancy their chances of gaining revenge on Italy to progress to the knock-out stages for the fifth successive time. There they will meet whichever team of France, Ireland and Argentina has won the Pool D (D stands for "death"). The Scots will fervently hope after these three sides have knocked hell out of each other the winner will scarcely be able to stand for the all-important quarterfinal.