Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend is quietly confident ahead of the tournament<\/p>\n
I<\/span>\u2019m massively excited for the World Cup. After announcing my retirement, this is the first opportunity I\u2019ve ever had to be a genuine fan of rugby and see everything the tournament has to offer. A World Cup only comes around every four years. Everyone has been going hammer and tongs, knocking lumps out of each other to get to where they want to be.<\/p>\n There\u2019s going to be an incredible amount of excitement and support across France. It\u2019s a chance for rugby to really grow and show what a great sport it is. Admittedly, it has been struggling slightly \u2013 look at the Gallagher Premiership with three teams going bust. Rugby isn\u2019t in a fantastic place by any stretch of the imagination, but this is a brilliant opportunity to put it back on the biggest stage and show what it is really about.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve had so many different conversations about who is going to qualify from the groups and who is going to win, and every time I do, I change my mind \u2013 on everything. Ireland are in with a good chance. I think New Zealand will win the opening game this weekend but it will then galvanise the French to be bigger and better as the tournament goes on.<\/p>\n