Andy Robinson and Chris Cuister are hoping for a fast start to the Six Nations © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Chris Cusiter | Andy Robinson

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations

Teams: Scotland

Andy Robinson has thrown down the gauntlet to Scotland, challenging his men to "inspire the nation" when they kick off their Six Nations campaign against France at Murrayfield on February 7.

Robinson is demanding the highest standards from his squad and wants them to produced the same sort of gutsy display that secured a 9-8 victory over Australia in November, their first win over the Wallabies in 28 years.

"This is a warrior sport and you are searching for the toughest competitors that will put their bodies on the line," he said. "You saw that after the Australia game the players, in winning the game 9-8, inspired the nation. The guys understand what it means.

"The courage they showed that day, in putting their bodies on the line, was fantastic. We want Murrayfield to be an intimidating place to play. What we have at the moment is competition for places and that was borne out on Tuesday with a training session that was very lively.

"There are guys that are really pushing to be in that starting XV. That is what raises the standards. The preparation over the next two weeks is not about wrapping guys in cotton wool, it is about preparing to perform in an international game that is going to be very physical, very intimidating and will put the guys under massive pressure."

Scotland skipper Chris Cusiter maintained that there had been no teething problems for the squad in accepting a coach who had played for and coached England previously.

"With Andy taking over we really enjoyed the autumn series," said Cusiter. "Andy's competitive spirit speaks for itself. Not one player has questioned why Andy is in charge of Scotland. He is the best man for the job. He is as desperate to win as any Scots guy. We trust him implicitly."