Japan tie pivotal to Scotland's ambitions
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Your support makes all the difference.Scotland begin their quest to reach the World Cup finals for the first time in Edinburgh this morning. The Scots must finish in the first seven positions, a formidable task, but even if they do not make the cut they must better Wales' standing to qualify for next year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
The crucial game for Scotland takes place on Thursday against Japan, who have beaten them twice already this season. Their final opponents in the first pool stage will be against Chile, something of an unknown quantity. Scotland's first appointment will be against Spain, who beat England 3-0 in Madrid last month, tomorrow evening.
Effectively, Scotland must take a point off Spain or Japan to have any chance of finishing in the top two places of their pool. For the Scottish captain, Mike Leonard, the going will be tough since his squad has an average age of less than 24.
Wales, captained by Canterbury's Zak Jones, are in an even tougher pool. Their opening opponents tomorrow morning are Egypt, who have yet to join the other 15 teams in the Scottish capital. As well as Egypt, Wales face India and New Zealand, strong favourites both to qualify. England have pre-qualified.
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