Rugby: Tiki tour no gentle entry

Vern Cotter will at least know his Scotland team well after their international tour. Photo / Getty Images

More than a year after his appointment was announced, Scotland coach Vern Cotter will finally get down to doing what he does best today as he sends his side into battle against the United States Eagles in Houston.

In any other environment, the fixture might represent a gentle introduction to the test arena. But in the Texas heat and humidity, it is a far more serious challenge for the former Bay of Plenty and Crusaders assistant coach.

Cotter would almost certainly have chosen to begin his reign elsewhere, and not with the madcap schedule the international authorities have given Scotland this year. Quite apart from the questionable wisdom of playing a test in such physically demanding conditions, the next few weeks will take the Scots on an absurd journey to Canada, Argentina and then South Africa.

At least he will know what he's working with by the end of the tour.

"That's the positive side of things," said Cotter. "We get to have a look at everybody. Logistically, it's not the easiest tour but, at the end of it, we should have some positive information."

Cotter was probably the hottest coaching property in Europe when the Scottish Rugby Union confirmed he would succeed Scott Johnson. As it turned out, Cotter could not obtain an early release from his contract with Clermont Auvergne, and his reputation lost a lot of its lustre as they failed to clinch either the Top 14 or Heineken Cup titles.

It was thought Johnson had made things easier for Cotter by capping 17 new players in his 18-month caretaker period. Cotter has wielded his own new broom. His first selection includes three debutants in the starting 15 and two on the bench.

Cotter also inherited the optimistic goal of winning the 2015 World Cup. However, it is not one he appears to feel obliged to meet.

"That was just an expression of intent," he said. "Everyone in Scotland would like Scotland to win the World Cup. Enthusiasm is important and I don't mind that.

"What I firmly believe is that everyone in Scotland must be together. It's not big enough to do otherwise. We can't fight the whole world unless we are all together.

"Looking at it objectively, everyone will say it would be nice to get to the quarter-finals. We have some tough teams in our group. We have a tough draw. I will answer that after the tournament."

Houston has been the favoured venue for US internationals in recent seasons, and they ran Ireland — albeit without their Lions tourists — close, losing 15-12 a year ago.

They are 18th in the world rankings, eight places below Scotland, tucked in between Romania and Russia. If the Scots can cope with the difficult conditions, they should be able to deal with their opponents.

Cotter's time at Clermont ended badly, with a hammering by Saracens in the Heineken Cup and a loss to Castres that ended their 77-game winning streak at the Stade Marcel Michelin. He will be looking to get things off to a rather better start in his new job. UK Telegraph