Ross Ford wants maximum return from Scottish rugby tour

The squad arrived in their Australian base of Manly near Sydney on Saturday, after flight delays and missing baggage, but with head coach Andy Robinson insisting that there would be no excuses for failing to claim a first Test win in over a year in the forthcoming matches with the Wallabies, Fiji and Samoa.

As part of their recovery from the journey, the squad undertook some drills over the weekend with the Manly Surf Life-Saving Club in the Pacific Ocean opposite their hotel. But after barbecues and varying degrees of success on surfboards, the squad yesterday began their preparations in earnest for the opening Test with Australia a week tomorrow.

“The boys have enjoyed the beach,” said Ford. “It’s a good setting and a great place to recover from the trip and kick off the tour.

“But three wins from three is what we are here for. That’s the way it has to be. It’s why you play Test rugby: to win. We have a hard first game against Australia in Newcastle and on their home patch it will be tough. We’re under no illusions. But we believe that we have the rugby ability to beat them; it’s about being able to consistently, over 80 minutes, keep that performance high.

“We know that we’ve got the rugby there that can test any team so it’s about making sure we show that on the pitch for 80 minutes and start the tour well with a win against Australia.”

Ford agreed with Australian media that the Scots would draw confidence from their defeat of the Wallabies in their last meeting, a dramatic 9-8 win at Murrayfield where Matt Giteau missed a late penalty to reward the Scottish defensive performance on a bitterly cold autumn evening.

The hooker, who, like coach Robinson, made his international debut against Australia – Ford at Murrayfield in 2004 and Robinson in Sydney in 1988 – said: “That was a great game to be involved in and I’m hoping for the same result again, just maybe not in the same weather. We have the experience of knowing what it takes to beat a team like Australia. We defended heroically and that’s the kind of stuff we’ll need again over the next three Tests.

“But having the belief that we’ve done it in the past will give us confidence going forward and the belief that we can do it again.”

Meanwhile, Quade Cooper was yesterday named in Australia’s 39-man squad for the Tests against the Scots and Wales despite only playing twice for the Queensland Reds since seriously injuring his knee at last year’s World Cup in New Zealand.

However, captain James Horwill is set to miss out after hurting his hamstring in Queensland’s 13-12 win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra at the weekend.

Horwill has reported to the national team ahead of scans due today, but is not listed among the 39 while Melbourne Rebels fly-half Kurtley Beale is also a doubt with a shoulder injury.

Cooper was one of the first players to report in Sydney as those selected from the Reds and Waratahs arrived early, with the remaining players to join in midweek. They will then go back to their respective clubs for Super Rugby action before the final squad to play Scotland on 5 June is picked just 48 hours prior.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans thanked the Australian clubs for their assistance in releasing players, before admitting that such a short turnaround from selection to the game against the Scots was not ideal.

“The co-operation of the franchises has been considerable and we appreciate that,” Deans said.

“We can’t finalise a side for the match until all of the games are played.

“Obviously we have preliminary ideas but the selection template is a living document. It can, and probably will change, as a result of events through the final round of Super Rugby before the international break.”