Assistant coach Wesley Clarke said the Black Ferns had shown they could perform well at other times in games, so it would be good to have a better start.
He said Scotland would have an effective rolling maul, as all the northern hemisphere sides did, and the Black Ferns would look to reduce the number of penalties they concede to prevent Scotland from using their maul.
Clarke said he was happy with the Black Ferns' defence, especially the attitude shown. They had made minor tweaks to their line speed. They also noted France's demonstration of the way to defend aggressively.
"Their passion was outstanding [against England] and they did some good low tackles and went forward hard, which was great to see."
Prop Krystal Murray said she had dreamed of representing her Northland people with the Black Ferns on her home ground at the Northland Events Centre.
She was keen to show local players that there was a pathway to the Black Ferns from the district, not something that had occurred too often in the past.
Still living in Kaitaia, she has enjoyed being part of the side during the World Cup because she usually trained solo.
Murray has played at a Rugby League World Cup and said the transition to rugby had been 'quite hard.'
"It's a lot more technical in my position, and the lessons have been great - but hard.
"League is quite a direct game and I feel I can bring forward running, and running good lines into rugby union."
Clarke said while they hadn't played their No1 XV yet, they were establishing combinations, and for those players who haven't had a lot of playing time, the Whangarei game would be the last chance to impress.
They are still looking to improve areas of their game and were not looking any further forward than the weekend.