Scottish rugby is moving into 2010 with renewed heart according to David Ferguson in The Scotsman.
"Andy Robinson, Rob Moffat and Sean Lineen continue to work very closely together, along with Robinson's assistants, newly-promoted Gregor Townsend and defence coach Graham Steadman, who was retained after Frank Hadden departed. The key to improving Scotland lies with improving the professional teams – and their relationship with the club game – as the time available before internationals is not enough to lift a squad of Scottish players, bearing in mind coaches use over 30 players in a Six Nations tournament, to the required levels of fitness, strength and skills to be successful.
"Matt Williams tried to do it on his own and complained about lack of time, Hadden tried to work with the pro teams and still complained about lack of time – despite both having enjoyed far more time with their squads than any coach before them – but Robinson is acutely aware that lack of time is not a worthy excuse, merely a fact of international rugby. His two seasons with Edinburgh provided him with knowledge of the Scottish game and players, and he won admirers for spending time with club coaches in his first year, while big wins for his Scotland 'A' teams over Italy and Ireland – in an aggregate score of 104-22 – added to the belief that he could draw much from a Scotland team."
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