The Herald's spotlight will shine brightly on the Scotland rugby team at the Rugby World Cup.  In a country where football has widely enjoyed a monopoly on column inches, we have always prided ourselves on delivering top-class rugby coverage. 

Our dedicated reporting will continue from France over the next month, with three writers dedicated to providing the latest news and in-depth analysis. Gregor Townsend has assembled one of the most talented squad of players in our nation’s history.

After years of heartbreak, a new dawn is on the horizon and we will endeavour to encapsulate that excitement.  

The media landscape is continuously evolving with new innovative technologies and the increasing prevalence of social media. It’s imperative that our rugby coverage evolves whilst maintaining the traditional values that have underlined our reputable reporting since the inception of the game in the mid-1800s. 

We want to consolidate our relationships with existing readers and bring new audiences to rugby by transforming our coverage across different platforms. 

Written content will always be the cornerstone of The Herald, but we will also evolve to capture the attention of the readers of tomorrow.  As part of this we will launch a new video show where we will report live from France three times a week with expert analysis and reaction to all the big talking points. 

READ MORE: How to watch every Scotland fixture at the World Cup

Scotland faces an unenviable task to qualify ahead of the two highest-ranked nations in the world - Ireland and South Africa - but we will be with you for every step of that difficult journey.

Sport has a unique and undeniable power to unify people and that feeling is never stronger than when Scotland play. Rugby, at its electrifying best, can incite passion that will be heard across the country when ‘A Flower of Scotland’ echoes out on Sunday at 4:30 pm. 

For five weekends a year, Scotland, no matter how fractured, comes together as the Six Nations captures the attention of the country. And while that pulls in so much attention, don't think we will take our eye off the ball during the other 47 weekends where we will demonstrate the same enthusiasm in our coverage of domestic rugby - especially Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh. 

For the first time in a number of years, The Herald will employ a full-time journalist to deliver on that promise because it’s so important to refocus our efforts on a sport so important to our core readership. 

Like a Finn Russell dummy pass or a crunching Jamie Ritchie, it’s the perfect time to get excited about rugby - and our coverage.