Romania's captain Sorin Socol believes Scotland can preserve their record of always reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup. That may not be enough to have the All Blacks, who are looking ominously relaxed in Aix en Provence as they prepare for Sunday's meeting with Scotland at Murrayfield, exactly quaking in their boots. But after a raw night in Edinburgh on Tuesday in which Frank Hadden's side dispatched Romania 42-0, Scotland are warming up for the meeting with the All Blacks.

Socol, the Pau lock, says this is the best Scotland side he has seen. And there was enough at Murrayfield to warm the hearts of the home supporters. "Scotland are a very complete team. Their forwards are very strong and it will be hard for Italy when they meet," he said.

Scotland's coach Hadden knows that the key to Pool C is the meeting with Italy in St Etienne on Saturday week. The Azzurri recorded their first away victory in the Six Nations at Murrayfield this year and, with the All Blacks sure to win this pool, the meeting with Italy should lead to a possible quarter-final against Argentina.

For Scotland's coach the decision to be made in the next two days is whether to rest many of his frontline team on Sunday and concentrate on Italy six days later. Hadden is growing increasingly tetchy at questions about "resting" players for the All Blacks game. It is a tricky dilemma because Hadden cannot admit to a Scottish public that has bought tickets for the All Blacks game that the fixture is being written off. On the other hand the realist in Hadden knows that the Scots have never beaten New Zealand in 25 games stretching back over a century, and this weekend is not likely to be different.

"The team I pick for Sunday is just the next team. We have 30 players and they are all important," said Hadden, as neat in his sidestep as Rory Lamont had been on Tuesday night when he dodged past what remained of Romania's defence for his second and the sixth of Scotland tries, all peerlessly converted by Chris Paterson.

Hadden is also annoyed about the carping over his selection of fly-half. Should it be the more cavalier Paterson, back in the side on Tuesday at left-wing, or the puritan Dan Parks, whose tactical kicking is crucial to Scotland's game? Hadden responded to questions about Parks gruffly. "We have the best kicker from hand in the world. It would be foolish not to take advantage of that," said the coach. "We always look forward to playing New Zealand. They are a top-quality side and we will do our country proud on Sunday. I expect our side to get slicker as the competition wears on."

Hadden won't be fooled by a one-sided display against a team that resented travelling north to play Scotland on a wet, chilly night in Edinburgh. Scotland were not perfect on Tuesday but the coach was vindicated in his decision to switch Simon Webster to a role at outside-centre. Webster's dislocated finger means that Andrew Henderson is likely to return after injury on Sunday. That is one of Hadden's more straightforward tasks. Picking 14 other players to face the grey-shirted All Blacks to keep Scotland's momentum going will be a sterner test for the former school teacher Hadden.