Scotland head coach Frank Hadden will today unveil his squad for the RBS 6 Nations Championship - with the potential for several surprises.
The likes of Glasgow wing Thom Evans, Edinburgh centre Nick de Luca and Edinburgh flanker Ross Rennie will be hoping to nudge ahead of more established names to feature in Hadden's player pool.
They made the grade when Hadden unveiled his 44-man training squad in December, and with changes expected after last year's torrid Six Nations campaign they will surely have featured prominently in Hadden's deliberations.
Another man who could be brought in, in his case from the cold, is Edinburgh fly-half Phil Godman.
The 25-year-old has not featured for his country since playing his part in gifting Italy their famous victory at Murrayfield last season, when his charged-down kick led to the first Azzurri try.
He was axed for the World Cup, but in recent weeks Godman has recovered his best form for Edinburgh, and by helping the capital side climb to third place in the Magners League it could be that he has timed his return to form perfectly.
Godman will be hoping that proves to be the case, and he has paid tribute to the role former England head coach Andy Robinson has played for Edinburgh since his October appointment.
With Rennie, De Luca and Godman pressing for inclusion in Hadden's reduced final squad, which is likely to feature around 32 players, the work Robinson has carried out at Edinburgh has been noticed by Hadden, who was an interested observer at the recent Magners League clash between Scotland's two professional sides.
Godman told www.edinburghrugby.org: "Andy Robinson is getting the best out of the players and everyone has benefited from that.
"My form has picked up, but it is not just myself, I think it has coincided with everyone hitting some really good form.
"Across the back line and in the pack everyone has played really well and that makes it a lot easier.
"The coaches are getting the best out of the players and as a team we are getting the best out of each other as well. It is a happy squad at the moment."
Godman was until recently being kept on the Edinburgh bench by David Blair, brother of Scotland scrum-half Mike who is one of a core of players whose selection is guaranteed.
Despite finishing with the wooden spoon in the Six Nations last season, Scotland's run to the World Cup quarter-finals has given some observers cause for optimism.
An influx of fresh faces could augment such expectations, however it would be unusual for Hadden to gamble too heavily on potential and it seems likely he will retain the bulk of his World Cup squad.
Some of the exiles may find their places under threat however, with Montauban second-row forward Scott Murray reportedly in danger of missing out.
Murray, who turns 32 on January 15, is Scotland's most-capped player with 87 appearances for his country.
A certain absentee will be wing Sean Lamont, the Northampton Saints player, who will miss the rest of the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury,
Jason White, who was forced out of last season's championship for the same reason, seems certain to retain the captaincy he regained for the World Cup.
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