‘I know this will send shivers down the spines of their fans’

Andy Nicol is adamant Scotland can cause a Rugby World Cup upset despite the hammer blow of losing Stuart Hogg, their talismanic full back, and having to face reigning champions South Africa and Ireland, ranked World No1, in the tournament’s Pool of Death.

Nicol also has a chilling warning for hosts France and Irish fans who believe the Grand Slam champions will finally deliver at a World Cup saying: “I know this will send shivers down the spines of their fans, but given the draw, France and Ireland could conceivably go out in the quarter-finals. Nothing much has to go wrong for the two teams I see as favourites to not make the last four which would be remarkable.

“We know the draw won’t be made like this again and with Scotland ranked No5 now means their Pool has three teams in the top five. It makes no sense – nor does having five of the world’s top six teams in the same half of the draw.”

Scotland have lost eight in a row against Ireland and the last seven meetings with South Africa so, is it worth Scotland turning up? Not surprisingly, Nicol, a proud Scot, responds with an emphatic “yes” pointing to his country’s recent improvement and ability to not only run the world’s best close against France and New Zealand but register wins over England, Wales and Argentina.

However, Nicol is keenly aware of the void created by 31-year-old Hogg’s injury enforced recent retirement. Former captain Hogg won 100 caps to highlight the depth of rugby knowledge the Scots have to replace as they attempt to defy the odds and somehow make the knock out stages from Pool B which also includes a Tonga side boosted by recent arrivals Israel Folau, Charles Piutau and Malakai Fekitoa and minnows Romania.

Nicol told RugbyPass: “We have a tough group but we have a chance – although it is only a chance. You can say it’s a terrible draw for Scotland but I would argue it’s not a great one for Ireland and South Africa because they must be looking at their game with Scotland knowing we have the ability to beat someone at some point. There will be shocks at this World Cup.

“In the 2019 Cup in Japan there was real expectation that Scotland would get out of their pool I am not sure there is the same expectation this time. Scotland have a brutal draw and there is also Tonga with the new guys they have brought into their squad.

“We have shown that in recent years and we should have beaten the All Blacks and Wallabies. In the Six Nations we beat England, Wales and Italy and in the Ireland and France games we competed but it showed we were just below that level. If Scotland are to get out of their pool they have to ensure they take those key chances that come along.

“Of course, losing Hoggy is a blow because of the experience he has and the confidence he brings to the whole group. In the early stages of his career, Hoggy was the only attacking player Scotland had and now we are multi-talented with lots of back line threats. It is a real…