Strauss to make first Scotland start as Cotter rotates

Saracen’s Chris Wyles, the United States’ most capped fullback, adds plenty of experience to the US team while Samu Manoa, who can play at number eight or lock, is considered among Europe’s finest forwards and is now signed to Toulon in France.

However, rugby fans in the US are not being left totally out of the picture with the Universal Sports Network and NBC Sports televising live nine of the 48 matches being played at the World Cup, including all four of their team’s pool games.

As I write this, Scotland have not yet begun their tournament, although by the time you read this that first match will be over.

Four days separate Scotland’s victory over Japan and Sunday; a mere six days will pass before they face South Africa at St James’ Park.

It would be fantastic if Scotland could win the Webb Ellis Trophy, however let’s be honest, that’s extremely unlikely to happen.

I think Scotland, who beat Japan on Wednesday, were glad to be playing them second up so they saw them coming as the surprise factor had then gone.

Japan have been under an intense media spotlight since the win over South Africa, the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history. “I think it’s very important that my job off the bench is to try to up the tempo and try to help the team on the foundations that they built”.

Those measures which are created to increase safety at the top of the game filter downwards so that the positive effect of those changes is even greater at amateur and age-grade rugby.

England will need to step things up now against Wales but I’m certainly confident they will be able to do so.

For full news and information on all of the leading contenders at this year’s Rugby World Cup, you can visit Coral’s website.

“I’m sure they’ll be pleased with that performance”.

“I know the boys have been waiting to play for a long time and the level of physicality and work was really positive for us”, coach Michael Cheika said.

“We said from the start that we’d need the whole group of 31 players for this campaign”, he said.

“But in the second half we managed to get over the try line and get a bonus point which we are very happy to do”.

Whether we’d care to admit it or not, we as human beings love a bit of schadenfreude; it’s only natural to want to hold onto negative memories.when they belong to someone else. “They always felt it was their game and not our game”.

But Laidlaw admitted their opponents’ famous Springboks slaying had given them the the jolt they needed ahead of their first fixture.

Skipper for the day Henry Pyrgos – who steps in for Greig Laidlaw, the man of the match against Japan – says it is imperative the Scots come out firing on all cylinders to prevent the Americans getting a toehold in the game.