Rory Lawson wants Scotland to "hit the ground running" in Saturday's EMC Test against Ireland at Murrayfield.
Scrum-half out to avenge Six Nations defeat
Rory Lawson wants Scotland to "hit the ground running" when they step up their Rugby World Cup preparations with Saturday's EMC Test against Ireland at Murrayfield.
The Gloucester scrum-half will skipper the side for the clash, with Scotland seeking to avenge the disappointing 21-18 loss in in the RBS Six Nations.
And Lawson admitted: "It would be great to hit the ground running on Saturday and put in a good performance to build on.
"We've brought in a few new things to our training in attack and defence and we'll be looking to try those out.
"These things are never seamless when you're playing an international as the first game of the season.
"But if we get things right mentally and physically we won't be far away and we'll put ourselves in a good position to build on that."
Lawson has been curious to discover how Scotland's World Cup pool rivals have been preparing for the tournament and it was a subject of discussion at last weekend's Royal Wedding in Edinburgh.
Scotland head coach Andy Robinson and Lawson were guests of Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips, while a number of the England centre's international team-mates were also present.
Important
Scotland play England in the final World Cup Pool B match in Auckland on October 1 and Lawson hinted the banter between the camps is only just beginning.
He said: "I've spoken to Tins (Tindall) a little bit over the last couple of months about how their pre-season has gone and the strength of their squad is obviously there for everyone to see.
"There's going to be a bit of chat between now and October time, but there's a lot of things happening before then that are hugely important and that's certainly my focus."
Saturday is the most immediate event in Lawson's mind and although he has been named as skipper, he is far from complacent about his place in the squad for New Zealand.
He added: "I don't think any member of the squad would be sitting back thinking they're on the plane. If you do, then there's something wrong.
"I think the competition in the squad is better than ever.
"Opportunities are at a premium and the competition for the scrum-half berth is massive.
"It's ruthless and it's a challenge every day to make sure I'm performing well and giving myself the best opportunity."
