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Hadden will mastermind Scotland's bid
Home stadium: Murrayfield, Edinburgh (67,800)
Nickname: Scotland the Brave
Number of rugby players: 24,905
National rugby website address: www.scottishrugby.org
Current national champions: Currie
Strengths: The Scots are in a real slump at the moment, caused largely by events off the field. But never once will any watching fan have been able to even think about criticising the Scots' players' spirit once they take to the field.
Weaknesses: The Scots are particularly lacking in game-breaking ability, with Chris Paterson frequently running a one-man show when it comes to making scoring bursts over the past 12 months.
History in the tournament: 1987 - Lost in the quarter-finals to New Zealand, 1991 - Lost in the semi-finals to England, 1995 - Lost in the quarter-finals to New Zealand, 1999 - Lost in the quarter-finals to New Zealand, 2003 - Lost in the quarter-finals to Australia
Prediction for this tournament: The pivotal match is against Italy in St. Etienne, and the SRU appears to be in such a mess right now... it is foreseeable that the Scots may not make it to the knockout rounds for the first time ever.
Coach: Edinburgh supremo Frank Hadden was handed the job of full-time Scotland coach in September 2005 after a successful spell as caretaker. Given the interim post following the sacking of Australian Matt Williams in April 2005, the Dundee-born boss recorded impressive end-of-season wins against the Barbarians and Romania. The former PE teacher was appointed head coach of Edinburgh in 2000 and became the first coach to take a Scottish professional team to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals in 2004 before suffering defeat to Toulouse. He has since coached Scotland to notable wins over England and France in the 2006 Six Nations.
Key player: Chris Paterson is, arguably, the most influential player in the Scotland dressing room. Second only to Gavin Hastings in the all-time Scotland points scorers list, Paterson is always thinking on his feet and has pace in abundance and a clever kicking game. He has previously captained the team and has the respect of his Scottish team-mates for his versatility and ability. An intelligent player, Paterson can play across the back-line from full-back to fly-half and offers coach Frank Hadden a number of options.
"Mossy" was statistically the best goal kicker in the world for 2006 having kicked 20 consecutive goals.
Captain: As well as being Scotland captain, Jason White is a handy utility forward who can play any position in the second or back row of the scrum. The Sale Sharks player is renowned as one of the hardest hitting tacklers in international rugby. White captained Scotland for the first time in the Test against Argentina in Murrayfield in 2005. He also led them in the famous win against France a year later at Murrayfield when he earned his 50th Scottish cap. White's most memorable victory as skipper was over England where he received the Man-of-the-Match award for his outstanding contribution to the victory. White was out of action from November 2006 until August 2007 after having sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament. He underwent reconstructive surgery shortly after the injury and returned to the Scotland squad in their 2007 Rugby World Cup warm-up against Ireland at Murrayfield, captaining the side to a 31-21 win.
Rising star: A product of the age-grade system in Scotland Edinburgh number eight Dave Callam has risen through the ranks, captaining Scotland U19 and U21 on his way to the top. A powerful ball carrier and tireless defender Callam has shot to prominence since making his debut against Romania in 2006. Having established himself in the Scots back row expect Callam to go on and become one of Scotland's leading stars.
Team Nemesis: Three times New Zealand have dumped the Scots out of the World Cup, and now they come to Murrayfield for a pool match! But there is rarely a darker spot in Scottish hearts than that reserved for England...
Likely headlines: Flower of Scotland in full bloom, All Blacks trip over the thistle, Fringe players given chance in Edinburgh
Price of a pint: E3.25
Rugby player/sheep ratio: 1:213
