AS THEY prepare for a tour where the emphasis is on building for the future, Scotland may at last have recruited muscle men capable of setting the foundation for success. That was the clear message being issued last night as a youthful, but powerful tour party set off for Australia.

In Scotland, the naming of the first squad of Scots ever to take on a three-Test tour met with general scepticism. At the other side of the world, if the reaction didn't quite match the outrage reserved for England's selection, there was, initially at least, a degree of ridicule. Given time to reflect, the suspicion is that the Aussies may not be just as sure of themselves when they hear of the dimensions of some of those making the trip Down Under.

''There must be some concern in Australia about the fact that they don't know much about our squad,'' suggested forwards' coach Hugh Campbell, shortly before departure.

''We've got some very big men heading out there. I believe we will win a very good share of lineout and scrummage ball.''

There was a certain symbolism in the tour mascot handed to Rob Wainwright at Edinburgh Airport by a group of well-wishing schoolchildren from St Francis Primary in Craigmillar, albeit the captain may have had mixed feelings at receiving Bruce the lion.

As a member of last summer's victorious British Lions squad, the choice of animal will have conjured happy memories; its name, however, brings to mind one of his more embarrassing moments, dressing up as ''The Bruce'' for a tabloid newspaper shoot ahead of the 1996 Grand Slam decider. Scotland were soundly cuffed. That said, if inspiration can be taken from the aggression, power and agility of the king of beasts then the lion rampant may fly proudly on this tour. Appropriate, then, that it should be one versed in the ways of the Dark Continent who

Weighing in at 20 stones plus, Matt Proudfoot, a South African with Scottish roots, may not have set the heather on fire since arriving at Melrose a couple of months ago, but he is expected to kick up something of a storm back on familiar terrain.

''The fact that he hasn't shown up too much so far may be down to the gameplan at Melrose,'' suggested Campbell. ''But he is very, very explosive over short distances and purely from a scrummaging point of view he will also be very important for us.

''We have the men who can build a platform and provide something to work with.''

Though head coach Jim Telfer has previously stressed the importance of this tour in its own right, with an emphasis on winning games, it is equally important on this trip that Scotland bring new players through.

Some may argue that has already been done to a fault in the inclusion of so many born-again Scots, such as Proudfoot, the Metcalfes - English-born giant Richard and New Zealander Glenn - and another Kiwi who has hardly been seen in domestic action, Gordon Simpson, who qualify to play only because of the grandparent rule.

However, few are better qualified than Campbell to assess the quality of the newcomers to the squad.

Working with Graham Hogg, he was the forwards' coach on last summer's development tour of South Africa, on which, in particular, Derrick Lee and Simon Holmes established their Test credentials. The same management team took charge of Scotland's Grand Slam-winning A team this season.

''There will be more publicity and more hype, so there is more pressure, but that's what the game is all about and I see a lot of similarities between this tour and last year's,'' Campbell observed.

''Once again a lot of guys are being given an opportunity. A lot of young players came in last year and did pretty well and hopefully we will see the same sort of thing this time.

''Everyone wants to be involved in the World Cup and this is their chance to stake a claim.''

That the raw material seems to be there, albeit largely imported, is hugely encouraging as Scotland anticipate a World Cup campaign which could prove something of a watershed for some of the traditional powers of the game.

Whether it can be used to maximum benefit remains to be seen.

As well as those big forwards, there is a pacey feel to the back division, with Gregor Townsend's flair now complimented by the adventurous approach of the likes of Derrick Lee and Glenn Metcalfe. That only three of 13 Scots who have been on British Lions tours in the past are available clearly weakens the squad in terms of individual ability.

Yet backs coach John Rutherford made a very interesting point when asked how much harder that would make it to put together an effective back line.

''Actually, it's easier,'' he said. ''I think that, what's the saying, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. We will miss their experience, of course, but the young players who have come in, their attitude has been excellent and they are very fit.''