Scotland's tour of Fiji and Australia is being viewed as the end of en era, but there is a growing feeling within the game that this may be a trip which brings the dawning of a new age of Scottish rugby.

That has been the underlying theme of much of what has been said during this first week in the Southern Hemisphere. Before setting off, team manager Arthur Hastie, himself very much a representative of the old establishment, acknowledged that this could be the last summer tour of its kind.

However there is a buoyant mood within a very inexperienced, but lively looking squad, that believes itself capable of lifting the Scottish game at a time when, after the encouraging post-World Cup Five Nations campaign of 1996, the last two seasons have been very disappointing.

That Scotland must now look forward, and identify new talent with which to challenge the super-powers, was the clear message this season in particular.

While a posse of Scots involved in the 1998 Calcutta Cup match were survivors of the 1990 Grand Slam decider, England had one. Though individually none of those veterans should yet be discarded, the time was ripe for a change of style and, in some cases, personnel.

There has been little agonising from the management of this tour party about those who cannot be with them. Indeed Jim Telfer has gone as far as to indicate that one of his known personal favourites Gary Armstrong, the man he made captain when he reclaimed the coaching position, has begun to show signs of fatigue and was probably best left behind.

That Telfer remains as coach, in what was initially thought to be a caretaker role, is perhaps significant. It was when he first took control of the Scotland side, the best part of 20 years ago, that a massive emphasis on summer tours became the platform upon which Scottish rugby was built.

He has seen these trips as opportunities to build team spirit and to expose players to rugby at a sustained level that is substantially higher to that which they are exposed to at home.

Rugby's culture is, however, beginning to change. Once again it was Telfer who recognised that, when observing recently that some of England's clubs are better sides than the English Test team.

Consequently many of our leading players, those drawn south by lucrative deals that the SRU cannot match, are being asked to perform at a higher level throughout an entire season. Most fitness experts are now coming round to believing that the summer is the only opportunity players have to rest aching limbs.

Furthermore, the pre-season period is the best time for players to build the physique that is becoming increasingly necessary in the modern game. That is of particular concern in Scotland, where we have always had a tendency to produce players with skill levels matching other countries, but who come up short on power.

A tour too far, then? Well, strangely enough, despite being set against that background, if this does turn out to be the last tour of its kind it may be perfectly timed.

A little over a year ahead of the fourth World Cup, Scotland can, this summer, identify players capable of freshening up the squad. That being the case, this tour party looks ideal.

Principally, it will further test several of the players from Scotland A's Grand Slam-winning side. Admittedly, there has been substantial criticism of the number of players with tenuous Scottish links in this squad. Yet it is no coincidence that two of their number, South African-raised Matt Proudfoot, who makes his Test debut against Fiji on Tuesday, and English-born Richard Metcalfe, are, respectively, the heaviest and the tallest players available.

Others, such as New Zealand-raised Cammy Mather, Glenn Metcalfe, and Gordon Simpson, will get the chance before the tour is over to demonstrate their talent is of international standard, and that they are truly committed.

The very selection of the side to meet the unknown quantity that is Fiji is refreshing. How odd that Derrick Lee, first capped as a replacement against Ireland this year, should be the senior member of the back three at this early stage in his career, alongside Shaun Longstaff, yet another New Zealander who performed well in his Five Nations appearances, and debutant Hugh Gilmour.

Ian Jardine, on his long overdue return, providing stability in the midfield, will feel positively ancient lining up alongside Murray. Yet, perhaps most encouraging is seeing Gregor Townsend and Bryan Redpath reunited at half-back, their partnership having inspired so much enthusiasm in 1996.

In the pack, too, there is only one player over 30, captain Rob Wainwright, though a back-row which also contains Eric Peters and Adam Roxburgh is hardly short on know-how. With a solid-looking front row of Proudfoot, Gordon Bulloch, and Dave Hilton, they can allow a highly athletic, but hardly physically intimidating, boiler-house pairing of Scott Murray and Stuart Grimes, two more of this season's newcomers, play to their strengths.

It is a selection which is brave without being reckless, which is the key to the next month's rugby. Scotland must take risks, but if they are sufficiently calculated then, regardless of the results on this tour, it could be the beginning of something special.