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Thursday marks one year to go until the 2027 Rugby World Cup begins in Australia.
It will be the biggest version of the tournament ever staged, with 24 nations taking part, four more than the 2023 edition.
The expanded competition means changes to the format and the teams will be split into six groups of four in the pool stage. There will be an extra round of knockout matches next year. The top two in each pool and the four best third-placed sides will go through to the round of 16.
Scotland have been drawn in Pool D with Ireland, Portugal and Uruguay, the third time in a row they have been paired with the Irish in the group stage.
It’s Gregor Townsend’s third crack at the World Cup as Scotland head coach and likely to be his last, with his contract expiring after the tournament. The Scots have failed to make it out of the pool phase in each of the last two World Cups but that it is likely to change next year given the new format.
However, Scotland could be up against France in the last 16 if they finish runners-up in Pool D. That’s why their game against Ireland in Perth on October 10 is so important. Their other group matches, against Uruguay in Melbourne on October 3 and Portugal in Brisbane on October 17, should be more straightforward.
Here’s how Townsend’s team could line up at the tournament against the big guns:
5. Scott Cummings
Has grown in stature in recent seasons and won a deserved call-up for the Lions last year. A certainty to start in the second row if fit. Scotland’s back-up lock options include Glasgow’s Max Williamson and Edinburgh’s Grant Gilchrist, with the latter determined to make it to his fourth World Cup. | SNS Group / SRU Photo: SNS
6. Matt Fagerson
Likely to play a lot of this season at No 8 following Jack Dempsey’s departure from Glasgow but it is at six he has been deployed by Scotland recently. | SNS Group / SRU Photo: SNS
7. Rory Darge
A Scotland vice-captain and back-row lynchpin. Vital to Scotland’s chances in Australia. Expect Edinburgh tyros Freddy Douglas and Liam McConnell to be part of the wider squad. | SNS Group Photo: SNS
8. Jack Dempsey
Dempsey’s move to Japan places a question mark over his participation in the World Cup. He will miss next year’s Six Nations but stated this week that he is determined to go to the tournament in Australia, where he was born and whom he represented at the 2019 World Cup. If he doesn’t make it, Matt Fagerson or Magnus Bradbury are likely to be at No 8. | SNS Group / SRU Photo: SNS