Andy Robinson has confirmed his desire to be the new head coach of Scotland.
"It's a team that's got a lot of potential," the former England boss told BBC Scotland. "It's now about the SRU getting the best man for the job.
Asked if he thought he was the right candidate to replace Frank Hadden, he replied: "I wouldn't be applying unless I thought so.
"This is a great opportunity for me and I feel like I can make a difference in the international game in Scotland."
Robinson, who has been coaching Edinburgh for 18 months, had been reluctant to discuss the vacancy until Monday's evening deadline for applications had passed.
Former All Black Mike Brewer has already declared his interest, while Glasgow coach Sean Lineen has said he is not ready for the post.
Previous World Cup winners Jake White and Rod MacQueen have been mentioned as possible candidates, with the interview process expected to last around four weeks.
Robinson was on the coaching staff when England won the World Cup in 2003 but endured a torrid time when he stepped up to succeed Sir Clive Woodward.
"I'm passionate about rugby in Scotland," added the 45-year-old, who has experience working with the Scotland A team and assisted Hadden, along with Lineen on the summer tour to Argentina.
Scotland have won just one match in each of the last three Six Nations campaigns and only two Scots, Euan Murray and Nathan Hines, were called up for the British and Irish Lions expedition to South Africa.
"The Scottish players are working hard and improving but you can't make big leaps," said Robinson.
"It's about the consistency of that improvement and I think the players are showing that."

Brewer joined the Scotland coaching set-up in August
Brewer joined the Scotland set-up last year as forwards coach and he considers Six Nations champions Ireland to be a good model for making improvements.
"When you compare the team that won the Six Nations, Ireland, and this current Scottish side, we're probably around two or three years away from reaching their level," he said when announcing his interest in the job at the weekend.
"One of the key components to Ireland's success is that when things get a bit lateral, they know where to put the ball, to keep the opposition under pressure and to maintain that initiative.
"That's one of the key things that comes from years of experience at this level.
"Phil Godman, Graeme Morrison and Max Evans are very, very young in comparison to that Irish back pairing.
"We need to change and a big aspect of it is our intensity at training and our accuracy of execution, which really comes under pressure at Heineken Cup level with Glasgow and Edinburgh and at international level in the Six Nations.
"Our skill level and execution isn't as good as it should be and you have to train at that level to be comfortable playing at that level."

This article was posted on 22-Apr-2009, 07:18 by Hugh Barrow.