Scotland go into the RBS 6 Nations campaign with high hopes that few fans would have imagined just one year ago.

When Frank Hadden took over as head coach following the disappointing Six Nations campaign in 2005, most Scottish rugby fans were simply looking for someone to stem the decline.

Australian Matt Williams had inspired his side to just one win in 10 matches in the tournament.

Amid a consensus that employing a foreign coach had failed, Dundee-born Hadden was handed the task of restoring Scotland's credibility.

But the former school teacher had more lofty ambitions.

The free-flowing Welsh side that won the grand slam that year furnished him with the belief that Scotland could challenge France and England with a similar style of rugby.

The game in Scotland faces more obstacles - the Scottish Rugby Union has debts of about PS23million and professional clubs Glasgow, Edinburgh and Borders struggle to attract significant crowds.

But Hadden recognised these and pledged to rebuild interest in a sport firmly in the shadow of football.

He said: ``It may be that our current position is a reflection of our current resources but we have a tremendous tradition in Scotland of over-achieving.''

Hadden set about restoring that custom and tried to attract latent support by honing an expansive game that set his players free from the constraints of the Williams era.

His first game in May 2005 yielded a 38-7 win over the Barbarians that prompted Scott Murray to declare it the most enjoyable of his 67 caps.

Hadden believed his ``intimate knowledge'' of the players and familiarity with Scottish rugby culture gave him an instant advantage over his predecessor.

The 52-year-old first worked with skipper Jason White as Scotland Under-16 coach and earned rave reviews from former Scotland coach Jim Telfer for his work as a technical coach for the national side as far back as 1998.

The former Edinburgh Gunners chief, who had followed Scotland as a fan to Dublin, gave players more time with their clubs before Celtic League games to prevent their confidence taking more of a bashing.

His first autumn Test series saw victory over Samoa sandwiched by defeats to New Zealand and Argentina.

And few would have predicted the 20-16 triumph over France at Murrayfield in Hadden's first Six Nations match in charge last year.

But the nature of the shock win made it all the sweeter for the Scots, who took the game to their illustrious opponents throughout.

A harsh first-period sending-off for Scott Murray dashed their chances in Wales - but the Scots only lost 28-18 in a free-flowing game.

And Hadden's side thoroughly re-ignited the Scots' passion for rugby with a surprise 18-12 win over the Auld Enemy toclinch their first Calcutta Cup win since 2000.

Scotland fell just short in a 15-9 defeat in Ireland before rounding off their best campaign since 1999 with victory in Italy.

A third-placed finish under a new coach will inevitably fuel hopes they can go further this time out.

But the inconsistency often associated with an emerging team has not yet been cast aside and terrible luck on the injury front will make a title challenge
difficult.

After the Six Nations, a crushing 66-19 victory over the Barbarians was followed by two summer defeats in South Africa.

Convincing wins over Romania and Pacific Islanders prompted more than 64,000 to turn out at Murrayfield for the final autumn Test against Australia.

But they were disappointed when a clinical Wallabies side powered to a 44-15 triumph.

Injury problems undermined the series and Scotland's Six Nations chances hinge on their luck on that front.

The inspirational White will miss the entire campaign after suffering a serious knee injury against Romania.

The Scots' fortunes in November were summed up against the Aussies when winger Simon Webster was forced off with a leg injury after running the visitors ragged and notching a try as Scotland went 10-0 up in the opening stages.

With three home games to follow the Calcutta Cup opener at Twickenham, another victory over a new-look England could set the Scots up for an interesting final game in France.

However, Hadden has both experienced scrum-halves Chris Cusiter and Mike Blair sidelined by shoulder injuries for the start of the campaign and Nathan Hines, Ally Hogg and Scott Lawson were among those who sat out a recent training session.

Hadden has added George Graham and Alan Tait to his full-time backroom staff as he builds on his analytical approach.

But his medical team could be the key to Scotland's chances.