Six Nations Scotland v FranceBuoyed by the relative improvements of Glasgow and Edinburgh in latter months, a new-found competition for places and, though Frank Hadden won't say it, perhaps by Marc Lièvremont's extraordinary - even by French standards - wielding of the guillotine, Scotland entertain les Bleus in Murrayfield on Saturday quite chipper about their prospects this season.
Despite last season's wooden spoon, Scotland coach Hadden maintains: "I think we've every right to go into this championship with a bit of confidence. There's no doubt we've made progress over the last couple of years."
More than anything, the "frustration" Scotland felt over their World Cup quarter-final exit to Argentina was, according to Hadden, "quite evident in our debrief of the game against Argentina and that can be quite a powerful tool. The players felt they didn't show what they were capable of."
The navel contemplation after the quarter-final defeat had started with himself.
"Every time you get beat the first thing you look at is yourself. It's the most important part of the assessment process. I believe we've got a very honest squad of players who do the same. That's your starting place."
The 53-year-old Hadden concedes that such was his disappointment with that defeat to Argentina he "thought long and hard about whether I wanted to continue in the job" but after taking a holiday signed a new rollover contract with the SRU in December.
When Hadden arrived for the 2006 campaign, Scotland went very much back to basics: a strong defence, solid setpieces and an accurate kicking game. Only France conceded as few tries (seven) but only Italy scored as few (five). But last season, helped by the largely self-inflicted and bizarre concession of three tries in the opening minutes against Italy, the Scots leaked more tries (15) than everyone bar the Azzurri.
Good basics remain in place. They have an excellent lineout (statistically the best in last season's tournament) and, carrying on from Hadden's influence with Edinburgh, a potent maul. They sought to develop more of a passing game last season yet only Wales scored as few tries (seven).
For the second season in a row, Scotland had the best kicking success rate and Hadden appears to have taken quite a gamble in not only resisting the clamour for Chris Paterson to be played at outhalf, but leaving him on the bench for Sunday's opener.
Paterson landed an astonishing 39 place kicks on target out of 42 in the Six Nations and World Cup in 2007, equating to a success ratio of almost 93 per cent.
Dan Parks will wear the number 10 jersey and admittedly was six from seven at the World Cup when missing only with one long-range effort, in the quarter-final defeat to Argentina.
Even so he rarely threatens the gain line.
It will come as no surprise to Leinster followers that the Edinburgh centre Nick De Luca will make his Scotland debut alongside Andrew Henderson, with Paterson omitted for a back three of Rory Lamont, Simon Webster and Nikki Walker.
"A lot of people focus on the XV but as far as I'm concerned as a coach the emphasis is on the 22 and if you look at my track record I have made full use of the 22 - Chris Paterson is still an integral part of the Scotland squad," said Hadden.
On and off the field, Scottish rugby has had to cut its cloth in the last year or two. At the time, Hadden admits he was not in favour of last summer's exodus of players to foreign parts but he's now come to the view that it has been a positive.
"They can bring back valuable information about how things are done elsewhere, but it's also opened the door for youngsters to get games at a level which will help them play for their country.
"If I was being brutally honest that's been one of the advantages of our professional game; the strength in depth that we've now got and the winning environment is a real bonus for us."
Citing the emergence of a glut of under-23 backrowers whom he now describes as "almost seasoned veterans" and "three world-class scrumhalves", he admits Scotland's new-found strength in depth is part accident and part design.
"We identified a number of positions a few years ago. Hooker is a good example of that after Gordon Bulloch retired. We wrapped a big support package around some of our youngsters and I think we've now got four outstanding hookers and that's replicated in a number of positions."
Scotland have the itinerary of two years ago, when scalping France and England at home in rounds one and three and beating Italy on the last day for only their second third-place finish since the Six Nations, per se, came into being in 2000.
That said, like everyone else, he's palpably not sure of what to expect from les Bleus this Sunday in Murrayfield.
"Surprised" by the extent of Lièvremont's changes, Hadden said: "It will be interesting to see whether they change their defensive patterns, their lineouts and so on.
"But you always have to be incredibly alert against the French because you're never quite sure what such talented individuals are going to be able to put together on the day."
