HARD work can make everything look easy. Japan’s tiredness was a contributory factor in their 45-10 defeat by Scotland on Wednesday, but so, more significantly, was the preparation put in by Vern Cotter’s team over the last three months.

Remember when Scotland could hardly score five tries in a season, never mind in a single match? Remember when they would defend gallantly for long spells but inevitably buckle under sustained pressure?

Not any more. The defence may not be perfect yet, as Japan showed with their try from a lineout drive, but it learns quickly: the next time the Japanese attempted the same ploy, it was stopped at source.

As for the attack, it is now composed of players who are far more insightful and incisive than their counterparts of a few years back. Players like Mark Bennett, who in scoring two tries again showed his ability to ghost through gaps that more direct runners would be unable to breach. Players like Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour and Finn Russell, all of whom reinforced their reputation as dangerous counter-attackers.

It is no accident that those players, although their reputation primarily rests on their point-scoring ability, are also solid in defence. After all, this is rugby, not American football: there are no special teams, and the men who attack also have to play an integral part when it is time to defend. As Hogg said, Scotland ended up with such a big points tally in large part because they defended so well, particularly during passages of play when Japan were throwing everything they had left into getting back in terms.

“Japan showed they’re a good side, and we can regard ourselves a bit fortunate to come away with such a big result,” the full-back stated. “But we know we’re capable of a result like that and we were chuffed to bits to come away with that type of result.

“I don’t believe the scoreline flattered us. Maybe we were a bit fortunate to have scored a few breakaway tries, but it was on the back of some very good defensive pressure. That’s something we work hard on, and we’ll continue to work hard on it, so we’re delighted to see it pay off.”

Of course, most teams work hard, and you can work exceedingly hard yet still lose your games if you have no other virtues. Just as importantly for Scotland, as Hogg explained, they were able to remain patient both under pressure and on the ball, trusting in one another and in their defensive system.

“It was all about not panicking. We watched them going off at half-time and we did feel they were tiring. It was about us, and we were creating chances in the first half and we just weren’t able to finish them off.

“In the second half it was completely different. We managed to finish them off and ultimately get some tries on the board and win the game.

“We work hard during training to create these opportunities and it’s great we’re getting them when it comes to the games. We’ll continue work hard and stay grounded and move on to the next job.

“We know what we’re capable of and now it’s about going out there and expressing ourselves and showing everyone else just what we’re capable of. We have good attacking players. Vern has a good structure which he’s looking for us to execute, so when we do get into good positions and execute, we look very dangerous. We need to keep moving forward and I’m sure we’ll get there.”

Russell, who scored a try on his 23rd birthday, was just as pleased with the result - especially with the bonus point which could yet prove important in determining which teams finish in the top two in Pool B. “We got the result we were looking for,” the stand-off said. “Bonus-point win, five tries - that's about as good as we could have asked for.

“In a tournament such as this, with such a quick turnaround, it’s getting the job done week in and week out. We’ve not looked ahead and we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves at all.

“We got the job done and now it’s the USA, and we want to be strong when we come up against them. I feel a bit tired right now, but we'll have a few days with our feet up in the pool and stuff for recovery.”

The simple arithmetic of having a 31-man squad means that most of those who played against Japan will also be involved against the US at Elland Road on Sunday. Twenty-two players were on the field, with Henry Pyrgos, the scrum-half, the only unused substitute. Fourteen of those players will have to be in the matchday squad for the Leeds game, to be announced by Cotter today, although Russell said that no-one had been told either before or immediately after the Japan game what the coach plans to do selection-wise.

“I haven’t heard anything,” he said. “For the players that played on Wednesday it’s just get the head down and get the recovery in, sleep as much as we can and that’s the plan.

“So it’s going to be tough this week, but the physios and medical staff and the strength-and-conditioning guys have done a lot of work on what is best to get recovered. I think there’s going to be a coffee ban after three o'clock. We need as much good, deep sleep as possible. There are a lot of things in place to help us recover quite quickly.”