Scott Cummings has mixed memories of his visits to Nice. The elegant city on the south coast of France will always hold a special place in his heart given that is where he made his international debut as a fresh-faced 22-year-old during the build-up to the 2019 World Cup – but that was a 32-3 defeat to France, and he makes no secret of the fact that he struggles to cope with the heat on the Côte d'Azur.

So, it was a bit of a challenge for the second-row sitting through yesterday’s official World Cup welcoming function under the midday sun, but he managed to stay positive about the experience and enthusiastic about the major challenges which lie ahead during the next five weeks … and then beyond that into the tournament knock-out stages, he hopes.

“I made my debut in the warm-up game out here and it all happened pretty quickly from there,” recalled Cummings, who was one of two new caps that day along with Rory Hutchinson, who continued to impress for Northampton Saints but has since fallen off the Scotland radar without trace.

“I remember it being very hot. It was obviously tough. It wasn’t the rugby performances we wanted but getting my first cap was an amazing achievement and a great moment.

"It’s an absolutely lovely part of France, with great sun, great weather, great beaches and all the places we’ve been we’ve been really welcomed by the French," added the Glasgow Warriors man, who is now on his third visit to Nice this summer, with the squad basing themselves near the city for a training camp in June and returning ahead of their warm-up match against France last month.

“I’m not a fan of the hot weather. But it's quite nice training in shorts and a t-shirt, and it’s not raining like we are used to in Scotland. Hopefully it cools down a bit over the next couple of weeks."

Cummings is now up to 39 caps but his progress during the last two years has been hampered by injuries at unfortunate times, and he has tended to be used as back-up to regular second-rower starters Grant Gilchrist and Richie Gray when fit. It is not a role he is entirely happy with, but he recognises its importance, especially this week as the squad prepare to neutralise the threat of South Africa's fabled 'bomb squad' coming off the bench during the second half of Sunday evening's World Cup opener.

“It’s tough because obviously there is really good depth in the position," he reasoned. "Whatever my job in that team is, I’ll do it to the best of my ability, whether that is starting in the second-row, or on the bench, or not being in the match-day squad but helping the guys who are prepared to be the best they can be.

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“Obviously, I want to start, and I want to be playing as much as I can, but everyone has got a job to do and whatever it is I will do to the best of my ability.

“None at all," he retorted, when asked about the intimidation factor of facing the reigning world champions. "We are excited for that first game. South Africa are playing really well, we know how they play, they play their style, so we know what’s coming, but we’re really excited about facing that challenge against the reigning champions.

“It is the first game of the World Cup, what’s not to enjoy? We’re confident in the way we play. It’s obviously going to be a massive challenge and we’re not going to shy away from that, but we’re here to enjoy ourselves and play the best rugby we can.

“We’re used to being underdogs. It’s a tough pool we are in, but we’re excited for it. You’ve got to beat the best teams at some point so why not do it now, at this World Cup."