ROSS Ford has insisted that Scotland will be ready to meet the challenge of Rugby World Cup shock troops Japan when the sides meet at Gloucester today. The Japanese victory over South Africa at the weekend set the tournament alight, but it has not forced the Scots to alter the way they prepare for their first match in Pool B, according to the hooker.

“It’s all about what we do,” Ford said. “We’ve been targeting this game for a long time - it’s been what pre-season has been about.

“We obviously watched the Japan v South Africa game. We knew as a squad we couldn’t underestimate them and that proved to be the case. They played really well on Saturday, but we were always aware of how good they are.

“It’s about what we do as a team. I don’t think Saturday’s match changes that much, if anything, for us. We’re still going into the Japan game in confident mood.

“Pre-season has been really good for us and we’ve improved massively from the Six Nations – we’ve even made developments from the first warm-up game. We’re going into the game knowing what needs to be done and what areas we need to exploit.

“Japan’s win hasn’t changed any of that. We’re still confident in our own ability.”

Japan’s fitness will be tested to the limit by a schedule that has given them only four days to recover from the South Africa game, but Scotland are not going into the match presuming that their own fitness will be superior. “The Japanese squad are very well conditioned,” Ford went on.

“I know a few boys who have gone across to Japan to play and they do pride themselves on their conditioning. They have a good squad. There will be no complacency from our side.

“You could see from the way the game unfolded on Saturday that Japan never gave up. They kept coming back at South Africa. It was constant pressure, so we need to make sure we’re on the ball all the time and not drifting away.”

Japan coach Eddie Jones, meanwhile, has claimed his team will win because they are fitter - and said the locals would support Japan, not only because both Gloucester and the Japanese play in red and white, but also because of the traditional rivalry between Scotland and England. “Definitely,” he said when asked if his team were fitter than their opponents. “Physically I think we’re pretty good. I think the pressure is definitely on Scotland.

“People in Gloucester know their rugby, so hopefully we’ll get a lot of support from the local crowd. They normally wear red and white, so they can wear red and white tomorrow and support us. And we know the English don’t like the Scottish, so that’s another bonus for us.”

Ford hopes the fact that Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw plays for Gloucester will be enough to get the locals on their side. “I hope it’s not a hostile crowd,” he said. “Greig’s the captain.

“When you see a result like that people will get behind a certain side. But when we went into Gloucester for our arrival ceremony everybody seemed to be behind us.

“Greig has assured us the Shed Heads” - the most vocal Gloucester fans - “will be behind us as well. I hope we can put in a good performance for them.”