Chris Cusiter's column

There is a television on the wall of the gym at Murrayfield and 24 hours a day it displays a countdown in days, hours and minutes to our first match against Portugal in the World Cup. Honestly, I'm not sure we need reminding!

We started pre-season on 4 June, having had the benefit of three weeks' rest instead of a summer tour.

I've lost count of the number of weights sessions we've done and the number of protein shakes, protein bars and Red Bulls I have consumed in our combined quest to get bigger, faster and stronger.

And the early signs are that the summer programme has worked very well.

I'm sure that most people in the squad would agree that we are in great shape, feeling fresh, and definitely ready to get out to France and get started.

Mark Bitcon is the fitness guru at Scotland, and his programmes have been top notch.

Undoubtedly it has been the best pre-season I've had since I've been professional.

My only setback was picking up an ankle injury against Ireland but I'm hopeful of being fit in time for the Portugal match.

The interesting thing about pre-season is that you don't really know how you are going to be in a match situation, but I certainly felt great during my 18 minutes off the bench against Ireland and I'm hoping to pick up where I left off when I get back onto the pitch.

Overall, I think we are fairly happy with our two warm-up matches, although a victory against South Africa would have been a real boost.

However, to score five tries against an Ireland side containing players such as Brian O'Driscoll, Geordan Murphy and Paul O'Connell was a fantastic start.

Our forwards were excellent that day and dominated the breakdown, which set the platform nicely for the backs.

That was also a great week for Andy Henderson, who not only scored a tidy hat-trick in that game, but also became a father for the first time. Congratulations, Andy and Anna!

The South Africa match proved that we have a bit to go, but with only one game under our belt before we played them, there is plenty of scope for improvement.

They are certainly looking strong going into the World Cup.

Our first target is quite clear - make it to the quarter-finals.

To do that, we will need to win at least three out of four matches, and clearly the last group match against Italy will be huge for us.

One of our other our targets is to do something special at this World Cup, and I'll leave that open to interpretation.

Frank Hadden has kept us guessing in terms of selection for the upcoming games but, with the physical nature of the sport, I'm sure that there will be a bit of rotation and chances for players to stake a claim.

I'm desperate to be available for selection for the first match and help to get us off to a winning start.

The first few games of a season are always tough on the lungs, and for them to be internationals makes them just that wee bit tougher.

Some people say that adrenalin gets you through the game but sometimes that only goes so far.

There is not too long for individuals to find their form and that makes every game an important one.

All in all, it has been a long but very productive pre-season. We are desperate now to get out to France and immerse ourselves in the World Cup. It's an exciting time to be involved.

Chris will be answering some of your questions during the World Cup. If you would like to ask him a question, fill in the form at the top right of this page (website users only; not available on mobiles).

Source: BBC Sport