Al Strokosch insists Scotland have plenty of energy left to tackle the United States on Sunday – even if they have had their daily cups of coffee rationed by their anxious medics.
The Dark Blues have had just four days to prepare for their Elland Road clash with the US following Wednesday’s World Cup opener with Japan.
Head coach Vern Cotter has been keen to let his troops relax and during their week-long stay in Gloucester ahead of the 45-10 triumph over the Brave Blossoms the Kiwi he allowed the players to visit nearby Tewkesbury for a cuppa.
But with such a short turnaround before their next Pool B fixture, they have now been told to take it easy on the caffeine.
Flanker Strokosch explained: “We’ve been managed really well. The medical department have planned this out for a while.
– #RWC2015: Milner-Skudder stars as NZ cruise to victory
– INTERVIEW: Fitzpatrick on NZ's quest for greater glory
– VIDEO – Burgess: 'The atmosphere's going to be electric'
– #RWC2015 Diary: Fanatics light up the Millennium Stadium
“It’s been a combination of lots of small things. Our strength and conditioning coach Neill Potts gave us a presentation and the three most important things in term of recovery are your sleep, your nutrition and your activity.
"With sleep being one of the most important things we have also been limited to three cups of coffee a day and all before 3pm to allow us to get a full eight or 10 hours of sleep a night.
“There’s a few coffee monsters in the team but they have managed to rein it in for a few days.”
Cotter has also had to contend with injuries, with flanker John Hardie replaced by Ryan Wilson due to a head injury.
USA coach Mike Tolkin expects Scotland to come out of the traps quickly due to fears over energy levels later in the game.
He said: “We know they want to get out to a fast start; they wouldn’t want the game to drag on into the late stages and to have to slug it out for 80 minutes. I would expect a high octane pace from them.”
