Blog: Simon O'Rourke looks forward to Scotland v South Africa at St James' Park

They'll march on St James Park. The bagpipes will sound and maybe, just maybe, Scottish Rugby will rise again.

Well that's the plan. But this is a very, very difficult game to call, because, surprisingly, all bets are off.

We can be certain of one thing. The fans will have a ball. The Scottish will march up St James Boulevard in their hundreds and thousands. You'll find a Springbok in the corner of every bar in Newcastle. It's going to be fun. But as for the rugby, that's a lot less predictable.

Union is generally fairly straightforward in terms of results. The form book rarely goes out of the window. So in World Cup Pool B, South Africa beat Scotland, Scotland beat Samoa and everyone beats Japan and the USA.

Everyone expected South Africa to finish first, while Scotland would probably wobble a bit before finishing second.

But the roles have been reversed. The Springboks have wobbled and Scotland have won all their games.

South Africa look like a team finally showing their age. A golden era of Springbok Rugby is gradually slipping into the past. Mighty warriors like Bakkies Botha left the stage before the tournament began. Jean de Villiers career came to an unfortunate end last Saturday when he broke his jaw against Samoa. His team mate, Schalk Burger, another veteran, said he heard the skipper's jaw crack on the field at Villa Park.

In every sense, the cracks are appearing. The Boks finished last in the recent Rugby Championship. That's unheard of. They have some fine young players, but they're a team in transition and they aren't quite the force they used to be.

On the other hand Scotland might finally be emerging from a decade of transition. After years of setting the bar very low, ambitions are gradually being adjusted. No one's saying they'll win the world cup, but the idea of Vern Cotter's team beating South Africa doesn't seem quite so outlandish now.

Victory would see Scotland through to the knockout stages as group winners.

There's even a safety net. One more win gets Scotland through and If it doesn't happen tomorrow, there's always next week's St James Park clash with Samoa.

But this doesn't make Scotland favourites. Just because they're "in transition", South Africa are still good. Really, really good. The Japan defeat will haunt them forever, but it'll also make them extra mean and nasty. They're pretty mean and nasty anyway.

Even now, global rugby opinion will tell you the Springboks will find a way to win this match. But remember, in Pool B, all bets are off.

VERDICT: Too close to call.