Writing in the Scotsman, Allan Masie calls on Scotland to put ferocious pressure on Enlgand in the early stages of their battle at Murrayfield.

"Playing against an inexperienced or experimental side, it is almost always important to exert pressure on them early on. The longer the game remains even, the more likely it is that they will gain in confidence and cohesion. So one would look to see Scotland seeking to impose themselves and to prevent England from settling into a pattern of play.

"It will be important to compete at the breakdown as Ireland did so successfully against England in Dublin last March. There is a tendency in the English Premiership for teams to commit very few players to the breakdown, preferring to stand off and keep a strong defensive line in being. If England do indeed play like that, one would hope to see the Scottish forwards taking the ball through the middle and then looking to off-load.

"Dave Ellis, who used to be France’s defensive coach, this week called Scotland “the most efficient side in the Six Nations. Their ability to keep hold of the ball for phase after phase is staggering”. Of course, it is what we don’t manage to do at the end of these phases that accounts for our failure to score as many tries as our build-up suggests we should."

David Ferguson, of the Scotsman, believes Dan Parks will get the nod for Scotland in their Six Nations opener.

"Election has always been cast up as a potential weak spot of Andy Robinson from his days with England where he had a surfeit of talent to try to meld into one successful team, and struggled, through a run of nine wins in 22 Tests.

From the point when the garrulous Brian Moore famously commented that Robinson was a good coach but a poor selector, it was also always going to be an easy tag to hang around his neck as coaches are labelled in the same way players are invariably pigeon-holed. While there were again question marks raised through the World Cup as Robinson switched players about, selection in team sport is never an exact science, so it remains a point of contention.

However, what is clear is that Robinson, along with assistants Gregor Townsend, Graham Steadman and Massimo Cuttitta have a difficult few days to come up with the perfect XV, and indeed 22, to face England in arguably the biggest game in their recent coaching lives."

A bullish Sean Lamont, talking to The Scotsman's David Ferguson, wants Scotland to finally deliver in the Six Nations.

"Sean Lamont has garnered a reputation for speaking his mind and while he has taken what, for such a garrulous character, would pass as a vow of silence on Scotland’s Six Nations hopes this year his natural enthusiasm remains at a peak.

He turned 31 on Sunday and is soon to start house-hunting in the west of Scotland after agreeing to reunite the Lamont partnership with Rory at Glasgow this summer. There is the small matter of a trip to Castres and meeting with Scotland team-mate Max Evans in the final round of Heineken Cup pool action on Saturday before he then turns his focus towards the RBS Six Nations Championship. With seven tournaments behind him, however, and Scotland fancied as a dark horse in many of them, he is uncharacteristically tight-lipped when asked for a forecast on chances this spring."

The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison reflects on Edinburgh's Heineken Cup victory over Racing Metro.

"Whatever else you say about Edinburgh Rugby, they offer value for money because the team always plays for the full 80 minutes. Phil Godman’s winning kick sailed over the bar 14 seconds after full time. Edinburgh never triumph by more than a short nose, so despite winning four of their five matches the club still boasts a minus five points differential.

"A few weeks back a London-based broadsheet bemoaned the state of English clubs in general, and Northampton Saints in particular, after the Midlands club had fallen to Castres. Northampton, the journalist explained, were desperately underpowered in comparison to their cross-channel rivals who had bigger budgets and could field bigger, stronger players.

"They should all be force fed the video of Edinburgh’s extraordinary double bill against French giants Racing, who have an annual budget of approximately ¤22 million. Just as the race does not always go to the swift, so too the match does not go to the muscle and so it proved on Friday night. For all their forward power, Racing often looked lost in the face of a swarming Edinburgh defence that never gave them time.

"The French club’s woes were made flesh by Sebastian Chabal. The totemic No.8 wasn’t just looking his age on Friday he was looking mine and that can’t be good. It wasn’t his coach beckoning him from the field midway through the second half, that was retirement calling."

Iain Morrison, of the Scotsman, casts his eye over the new faces in Andy Robinson's Scotland squad.

"Like Oscar Wilde’s response to the death of Charles Dickens’ fictional character Little Nell, it is difficult not to laugh out loud at the latest shenanigans over the eligibility or otherwise of Welsh under-20 cap Steven Shingler.

You can bet the additional two or three other Scottish-qualified players that Andy Robinson has admitted he is also talking to will now be vetted as closely as the president of the USA.

With the Welsh union insisting Shingler’s under-20 outing against France ties him to them, his Scottish mum and his stated determination to keep his eligibility open (he’s also potentially English due to his dad) mean the Scottish Rugby Union are confident they’ve got their man."

SRU chief executive Mark Dodson has set some lofty goals © Getty Images

The Scotsman's David Ferguson talks to Scottish Rugby Union chief executive Mark Dodson.

"The obvious question is: where is the money coming from? The SRU has been able to turn over £35m but, as welcome as the new funding is, it must beg the question how Murrayfield has changed from its Scrooge-like status to an eager investment broker breathing new hope into the professional game.

"Dodson said: “There is money here and there has always been money generated by Scottish rugby. To answer that honestly, I think it is about spending priorities. We have looked very closely at the non-rugby activities, administration and other areas, bringing some work that was contracted out in-house and are basically driving people harder and making them work in a slightly different way.

“We’ve cut back on certain expenditure. We haven’t had a chance to generate new revenues but the difference now is that rugby here is no longer seen as a cost, but seen as what we do. Everything now is about rugby, and everything else that we do is a support for rugby and maybe that wasn’t the case before.

“I don’t want to look backwards, but we obviously saw things we could do quickly that could turn things around in here and it comes back to a desire to put rugby back at the core of what we do in the Scottish Rugby Union.”

Ospreys boss Scott Johnson is set to join the Scotland coaching team © Getty Images

The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports on the appointment of Scott Johnson to the Scotland coaching team.

"The addition of Scott Johnson to the Scotland coaching team is one of the most intriguing and bold moves made by any Scotland coach, never mind Andy Robinson.

"Scrape away the SRU’s trumpeting of the appointment and there is perhaps less to the Australian coach than was suggested yesterday. He is not the experienced international coach one might expect to advise Andy Robinson, his five years in the Wales backroom team, just over a year with Australia and a shorter stint in America incomparable with Robinson’s 11 years with England, Scotland and the British and Irish Lions.

"And neither is he the “sage-like” figure we picked up from Robinson’s revelation at the start of the month that received the backing of the new SRU chief executive Mark Dodson to be added to his team. For a sage in a rugby sense, the likes of Brian Ashton, Alan Gaffney or Scots Jim Telfer or Richie Dixon spring to mind. But we understand now that that was not what Robinson had in mind after all. He does not wish a veteran coach to watch over him, but a different and forthright rugby mind to challenge him. Johnson has a reputation for saying it as it is, and what Robinson has been attracted to is a new dynamic and new approach to energise his coaching team."

In the Scotsman Stuart Bathgate ponders the implications of last night's clash between Edinburgh and Glasgow for two of the scrum-halves vying for the Scotland No.9 shirt.

As Scotland coach Andy Robinson watched last night’s match, for instance, you can be sure he took especial interest in the first direct meeting for six years of Mike Blair and Chris Cusiter. It scarcely seemed credible that the two scrum-halves had not been in direct confrontation for so long, and they could hardly believe it themselves when told so last week.

The most glaring difference was in the breaks made by the two. Blair, once so dangerous in broken play, made just one break, early in the second half.

Cusiter made four, beginning with a good sniping run in the first half as Glasgow came back into the game after going 10-0 down, and continuing deep into the second as they fought back to snatch a draw at the death.

Glasgow's Rory Lamont will look to make an impact against Edinburgh © Getty Images

The Scotsman previews the 1872 Cup clash between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

More than 10,000 tickets have been sold for this evening’s first 1872 Cup clash of the season between Edinburgh and Glasgow as talk of a feelgood factor in Scottish rugby begins to spread.

The recent moves by the Scottish Rugby Union to lift the depression which had returned to the Scottish game earlier this year, and led to the resignation of chief executive Gordon McKie, have strengthened the Glasgow team in particular.

Samoan World Cup winger David Lemi joined the Warriors until the end of the season, filling the void left by injury to Canadian star DTH van der Merwe, and then Scotland full-back Rory Lamont agreed a deal to leave high-spending French club Toulon that could see him finish his career in Glasgow. Rory’s brother Sean, who has 60 Scotland caps, has also agreed a return next summer, while most of Glasgow’s top young talents have re-signed and full-back Stuart Hogg is expected to tie up his first senior pro contract in the near future.

Chris Paterson retired from international rugby after winning 109 caps for Scotland © Getty Images

The Scotsman's David Ferguson speaks to Scotland greats Gary Armstrong and John Rutherford about the international career of Chris Paterson, who retired from Scotland duty last week.

“He has had a brilliant career,” said Rutherford. “Who’s to say he won’t still be playing professional rugby in two or three years’ time?

“He played very well at the weekend and has taken himself off the kicking, which was tough with the injuries he’s had. He’s fit and he can play in lots of positions.

“There is no doubt, though, when he does decide to finish altogether, that he will be viewed as an absolute legend, and it’s right that he should be held in that esteem.

“He has played more games and scored more points than anyone. The Grand Slams were great for those of us fortunate enough to be involved in them but that is reliant on being in the right place at the right time with the right squad and coaches. A whole lot of things coming together, which is why it doesn’t happen very often.

“And there are a lot of great Scottish players that should have gone on Lions tours that didn’t, and Chris is definitely one of them. There’s a lot of luck involved in that, too.”

David Ferguson, of the Scotsman, praises the SRU for bringing home Sean Lamont.

"There is more to the decisions of Sean and Rory Lamont to return to Scottish rugby than merely the delight of the Glasgow coach Sean Lineen to have experienced internationalists strengthening his back division.

Both players view Scottish rugby as a place where they can improve and taste success, which lies at the heart of sport’s appeal to all performers.

But why did they move away in the first place? There were various reasons, one of which players feel uncomfortable talking about publicly.

It is that the SRU refused to respond to news that they were being offered substantial increases on their salaries to leave the country and join clubs in England. Over the past decade, the SRU was about as secure dealing with professional sportsmen, agents and the whole circus of pro sport as Europe is with the Euro."

Is Scotland's attack coach Gregor Townsend set to get a helping hand? © Getty Images

The Scotsman's Tom English talks to Scotland assistant coach Gregor Townsend ahead of the latest Six Nations battle.

"Scotland have failed to score a try in 13 of Robinson’s 24 Tests. In both of his Six Nations championships, Robinson’s side have either finished bottom or joint bottom of the try-scoring charts. In New Zealand they became only the second side in World Cup history to go three games on the bounce without scoring a try. The other being that rugby behemoth, Spain, in 1999.

Robinson addressed all this stuff last week and said that a new coach would be coming in after the upcoming Six Nations. This is what brings us to Townsend’s door. The feeling is that the new guy is being brought in on the attack side, even if Robinson doesn’t specifically say so. The name mentioned more than any other is Brian Ashton, a relatively free agent at the moment and a radical thinker on the subject of attack play.

This doesn’t look great for Townsend. “How do you mean?” he says.

“Andy Robinson wants to bring in somebody on attack.”

“I don’t think he mentioned attack. Andy never mentioned anything about attack. If you look at his quotes he said he wants to bring someone into the coaching group, which is a great idea.”

First Minister Alex Salmond believes rugby can become a major selling point for Scotland in a way never before cultivated, and drive a new era of sporting benefits in this country. He talks to The Scotsman's David Ferguson.

"Speaking exclusively to The Scotsman, the First Minister said: “Rugby is a hugely popular sport in Scotland, both played and watched with passion by people throughout the country.

“I particularly enjoy watching Scotland play in the Six Nations at Murrayfield. Not only is this country the internationally recognised home of golf, Scotland is also the home of rugby sevens, with an incredible heritage in the sport, born from its origins in Melrose in 1883.

“I know that the SRU is working hard to make that unique heritage work for the benefit of Scottish rugby and Scotland in general. I am in Hong Kong, and nowhere is the global reach of Scottish rugby more evident. There is a thriving ex-pat community here that love rugby and get actively involved through cheering on the national team in the flagship Hong Kong Sevens tournament and growing the Hong Kong Scottish club that is now flying the flag for Scottish rugby in the city. I look forward to seeing how these links are developed in the coming years to the benefit of the sport.”

"Salmond stressed that support for rugby has grown under his government, but there also seems to be a growing awareness that real investment in rugby will lead to the wider benefits that those active in the game have been shouting about for decades."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson looks at the ramifications following Edinburgh's epic win over Racing Metro.

"The big debate has begun again of how a gulf has developed between Scottish and Irish rugby, especially among those of us who remember when our players would beat Irish provinces comfortably.

The second weekend of Heineken Cup rugby provided the perfect illustration of why Scottish rugby has the right to be hopeful of closing the gap, as around 5,000 people return to work this week still full of the excitement of Friday night at Murrayfield and how they witnessed the most dramatic game of rugby, great skill, try-scoring and commitment, many may ever have seen. And on Sunday in Dublin, we saw evidence of where work is needed for improvement in Scottish rugby to happen.

The defeats suffered by Melrose, Ayr and Currie in the British and Irish Cup are relevant too, because in a rugby community as small as Scotland’s, the game from club to international remains bound so tightly that success in one area affects others and, similarly, limits placed upon one has a limiting effect elsewhere."

Scotland legend Finlay Calder, talking to the Scotsman's David Ferguson, believes there are reasons to be optimistic if you are Scottish.

"Finley Calder can recall many great performances from Scotland teams with which he was involved and he is renowned as one of the game’s straight-talkers off the field. So, when he forecast a Calcutta Cup victory it drew real interest.

Now 54, the former Scotland and British and Irish Lions captain joined forces with a host of former Scotland and England internationalists to support the new Glengoyne Auld Enemy Dinner in association with The Scotsman, which will be held on the eve of the Calcutta Cup each year in Edinburgh and London, to raise money for the Help for Heroes and Bill McLaren Foundation charities.

Calder believes Scotland’s early World Cup exit should no longer be a cause for disappointment but that the lessons learned from defeats to Argentina and England can help launch the 2012 RBS Six Nations Championship with victory over the Auld Enemy."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson talks to Scotland coach Gregor Townsend and predicts a bright future for the national squad.

"Gregor Townsend was not making bold promises about Scottish rugby’s decade and more of struggle on the international stage being over, but the former Scotland stand-off believes there are genuine signs of a turnaround looming for the national squad.

Townsend was a pivotal figure when Scotland last claimed some meaningful silverware, the last Five Nations Championship in 1999, in which he scored against all nations, and yesterday he rolled back the years in helping team-mate from that time Stuart Reid launch the Glengoyne Auld Enemy Dinner at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, an event in association with The Scotsman that will raise money for Help for Heroes and The Bill McLaren Foundation.

Townsend believes there are good times around the corner again, and spoke of his delight at watching Edinburgh and Glasgow open their Heineken Cup campaigns with wins over leading English clubs at the weekend, and excitement at the prospect of players such as Duncan Weir, Stuart Hogg, Rob Harley, Matt Scott and Harry Leonard coming through to the Test arena over the next couple of years."

Allan Massie predicts a tough future for Scottish rugby and suggests the national team could drop out of the top 20 in the world in the next 20 years in the Scotsman

"This brief interval between the World Cup and the Heineken and then the Six Nations is a good moment to take stock.

"The World Cup and the IRB’s Sevens circuit are helping to spread the game.

"This is doubtless a good thing, though not necessarily for everyone. Here in Scotland we already have to run very hard merely to stay where we are. In future we are going to have to run harder not to fall well behind. It’s very likely that we shall not be able to hold on to a top-ten world ranking. We may not fall as far behind as we have in football, but 20 years on we may struggle to be in the top-20 rugby-playing nations. This will certainly be the case if we do not get more state schools playing rugby seriously and if we do not expand and improve the professional game here. Where that is concerned we have wasted 15 years. Time is certainly not on our side."

Former Edinburgh Rugby owner Bob Carruthers has written to the SRU offering to pull together entrepreneurs who could take over the running of Scotland’s professional teams. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The 50-year-old Scot who made his money in the entertainment industry, was forced out of the Scottish game in 2007, only a year after taking over the Edinburgh team with his consortium. Edinburgh crowds rose and supporters praised a far better customer experience under Carruthers than was the case with the SRU, but his ownership became embroiled in court actions as he fought the union and chief executive Gordon McKie over funding and latterly refused to allow players to take part in Scotland squad sessions.

"McKie, who quit the SRU in May, wrested back control of the team but Carruthers still believes he is owed substantial amounts of money and that the SRU cannot use the name Edinburgh after he sold it to an SRU subsidiary company, Murrayfield Experience Ltd.

"In total, Carruthers believes he invested, or lost, over £1m in the venture but insists he is prepared to do the same again. The obvious question is: Why?

“Because Scottish rugby still needs entrepreneurs to take the professional teams off the SRU’s hands,” he said."

Writing in The Scotsman, David Ferguson says that Scotland's exit is all the more painful with the knowledge that they were good enough to progress to the quarter-finals.

"The final group of Scotland players and management departed Auckland last night and left their World Cup dreams behind them.

"It has been a tough experience for a squad that appeared to be as strong and talented as any that had gone before them, and it will be rammed home this weekend when a so-far sluggish England take on a faltering France in the quarter-finals, and Ireland and Wales go head-to-head, while Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa come together in an appetising business-end of the tournament. There is nothing worse than knowing you could have been there, and there was no doubt that this Scotland team had the ability to join them."

Tom English reflects on Scotland's emotional exit from the World Cup in The Scotsman.

"Utter devastation. Nathan Hines in tears and being consoled by his team-mates. Dan Parks in tears and being comforted by other team-mates; two men, among many, in despair.

"There were Scots wandering around in a jaded and heart-breaking stupor; Sean Lamont sinking to his knees, Chris Paterson staring at the floor and then, soon after, the clincher of a team photograph, everybody, for some unknown reason, being asked to line up for the camera, with faces so grim that they'd haunt a house. A Kodak moment it was not."

Writing in the Scotsman, David Ferguson argues that Scotland coach Andy Robinson has made the correct call in selecting Ruaridh Jackson ahead of Dan Parks at fly-half for the match against Argentina.

"THE selection of Ruaridh Jackson at stand-off for Scotland against Argentina on Sunday is bold but it was the only choice for coach Andy Robinson if he wants to develop his preferred style of game.

"As he strives to make Scotland a serious player in the world's top eight nations, it was revealing that Robinson touched a lot on the Calcutta Cup match this year when explaining his choice. In that match Scotland took the game to England at Twickenham, had them on the rack for long spells and would have won the game had their passing and finishing been better. Jackson was the stand-off that day and Robinson saw the game that he believes will make Scotland not only more competitive against higher-ranked opposition but actually help them win

Writing in the Scotsman, Allan Massie considers Scotland's World Cup campaign so far.

"Well, we are where we had hoped to be at this stage, and, indeed, where we expected to be. "We might, if the conditions had been different, have looked to score tries and get a bonus point against Georgia, but we have always known that we have to beat either Argentina or England to qualify for the quarter-finals. England's narrow defeat of Argentina has simplified the mathematics. If we beat the Pumas next weekend we'll be through."

Scotland lock Nathan Hines admits in The Scotsman they will be on the end of a major upset if they fail to learn the lessons from their narrow win over Romania.

"There wasn't an upset in Invercargill yesterday, but I can tell you one thing: if we play like this again then there's going to be one on Wednesday when we play Georgia in the same stadium as that nerve-racking match with Romania.

"There's nothing surer in my mind. If we play the same way again, with the same immaturity and lack of accuracy, then Georgia will beat us and so will every other team in this pool. We'll be going home early. We got out of jail and we'd better learn the lessons - and quickly."

Writing for the Scotsman David Ferguson considers whether Scotland possess the attacking quality to fuel a successful World Cup campaign.

"Four years on, Scotland's ebullience is being encouraged by coaches Andy Robinson, Gregor Townsend and Graham Steadman as the sport itself strives to regain its wings and entertainment value. But is the squad capable of turning promise to greater success?

"The pack has vital experience and the youthful quality in Richie Gray and Richie Vernon.

"And, while the back division may not have the quality of the All Blacks or Australia, in Joe Ansbro, Sean Lamont, Nick de Luca and Max Evans there are genuine attacking threat."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson talks to Scottish Rugby Union president Ian McLauchlan - the only Scot to have beaten the All Blacks twice.

"McLauchlan played in all four Tests, winning in Dunedin and Wellington, drawing in Auckland and losing in Christchurch, came home with the new moniker "Mighty Mouse" and would go on to play as central a role in the Lions' famous unbeaten tour of South Africa in 1974. But New Zealand was the toughest, he says without hesitation.

"What New Zealand is, you have to understand, is a rugby nation in its truest sense," he says with a clear tone of respect. "When you go to New Zealand everybody knows exactly who you are, where you play, what you do … everything about you and your team.

"On the field they try to kill you and off the field they try to kill you. On it, they love rugby and try to do it through sheer physicality and skill, and off the field they are the kindest people I have ever met, and kill you with kindness.

"When you're touring the country there is a unique tension and pressure because everything is so intensely focused on rugby, so you can never get away from it. That is something most of our boys will find new when they arrive in Invercargill on Wednesday and it's something they, and all the other squads flying in, will have to learn to cope with over the next few weeks."

Tom English, writing for the Scotsman, reflects on a less than convincing performance by Scotland.

"Al Kellock said it all at the end. What pleased him most? "The win," he replied. What kind of a performance was it? Not the best, he remarked. "I just want thank everybody for coming," said the Scotland captain. "I know it wasn't the most attractive game to watch."

Well said, captain. But you were probably understating it. The game was an attritional nightmare, one that happened to have an extremely encouraging beginning for Scotland but which sank into an arm wrestle that had everybody wincing and, at times, yawning. Bottom line, though. The win. Two from two. Two tries as well. And a fine display from Nick De Luca in attack. Beyond that? A gruntathon. It was ever thus with Italy.

There can't be any doubt that Andy Robinson knew precisely who his chosen men were before this Test match. You don't spend a few years around these guys without knowing everything there is to know about their strengths and weaknesses as players, their mental capacity to cope with the kind of examinations that will soon be upon them. We could speculate all we like about Simon Danielli or Nikki Walker (who was worryingly stretchered off in the second half) for the last remaining spot on the wing and the likely two from three - Johnnie Beattie, Richie Vernon and Al Strokosch - in the back-row, but Robinson knew it all coming here. This game was about working the combinations rather than making discoveries. As such, you have to wonder how much use it was."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson talks to Scotland's Chris Cusiter as he prepared to make his return to the Test match stage against Italy at Murrayfield.

"The challenge of making it into Scotland's World Cup squad may be uppermost in the minds of the home players who take to the field tomorrow for the final EMC warm-up Test match but, for Chris Cusiter, merely returning to the field will be a massive step forward.

The 29-year-old scrum-half last played for Scotland in March 2010, when he captained the team to a famous win over Ireland at Croke Park in Dublin - a triumph that ruined the Irish bid for a Triple Crown. Almost from that moment on he has fought a debilitating knee injury that, five months later, was finally diagnosed as not the condition initially suspected but a fractured kneecap, requiring an operation that was to take him out of the game until April of this year."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports from Scotland's Rugby World Cup prepaprations.

"Youthful enthusiasm is a great attribute for any team, but there is nothing as reassuring as Test experience when a squad enters the pressurised World Cup environment. There is no doubting the serious level of intensity players will face when they touch down in New Zealand for a World Cup that could suggest "rugby is coming home" with greater resonance than England could. The sense of anticipation off the field is terrific already, and the fever-pitch of what unfolds on it is likely to be at a nerve-shattering level come kick-off on 9 September.

That, therefore, goes some way to explaining why the Scotland coaches, in particular, are hugely relieved to see the names Euan Murray, Chris Cusiter and Mike Blair in this weekend's final EMC warm-up squad. It underlines why they were also prepared to take a chance with these players and leave their recovery from fitness to the last moment.

The trio bring a combined 90 years and 161 Test matches' worth of experience to what is in some areas a relatively callow squad. Chris Paterson may be making his fourth appearance in a tournament, but the vast majority are preparing for only their second."

Andy Robinson still has much to ponder despite Joe Ansbro's late try against Ireland © Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph's Alasdair Reid believes Scotland now face a race against time to hone their preparations for the forthcoming World Cup.

"To Scotland the scoreboard; to Ireland a rather better result. Declan Kidney’s side took their leave of Edinburgh knowing that they have much work to do, but also that they will have the opportunities to get the jobs done.

For Andy Robinson’s Scotland, however, the World Cup build-up now looks like a race against time.

Ireland will play four more games before they set off for New Zealand, three of them full Tests. Scotland have only one more match — against Italy in a fortnight’s time — but this narrow squeak of a win over Ireland on Saturday left Robinson with more questions than could ever be answered in the space of 80 minutes.

So ring-rusty were some of his key players that it is far from certain that Robinson is much wiser now about their readiness for the World Cup than he was before the match. Can he afford to take No 8 Johnnie Beattie to New Zealand without giving the out-of-sorts player another competitive outing?"

In The Scotsman Tom English is struck by a sense of deja vu as Scotland toil to a 10-6 victory over Ireland at Murrayfield.

"IF Sylvester Stallone lives to play a dozen Rockys, Arnold Schwarzenegger two dozen Terminators and Matt Damon 100 Jason Bournes, then none of those films would have the same familiarity, the same "haven't I seen this before?" quality as the movie we watched at Murrayfield.

"This was Scotland: The Sequel of The Sequel of The Sequel. It was the humdrum and cliched tale of a team who cannot score, who do everything bar score, who drive themselves, their fans and their coach half-demented by their inability to score. Roll credits. The End."

In an interview with The Scotsman, Ross Ford talks about the unusual syndrome which could have easily ruled him out of action for two years.

"Ross Ford may have been the strongest player in Scotland's World Cup squad for some time, but he has discovered this year that there is a limit even to what he can do.

"The 6ft 1in, 27-year-old hooker is a veritable beast of a man, his flexing biceps virtually blocking out the sun behind him, and the pleasant view of the Old Course in St Andrews, as we sit discussing Scotland's potential ahead of tomorrow's opening Warm-up Test with Ireland at Murrayfield.

"As for the width of his quads and calf muscles, 'bulbous' does not begin to quantify them but gives an impression of their strongman-like shape.

"It was always thus with Ford, a Head Boy at high school in Kelso, whose appetite for hard work in rugby knew no bounds. Until this year. His insatiable desire had always been applauded by coaches as the model example of what it takes to compete with the best in sport, until the lines on medical graphs began to veer worryingly into the red."

David Ferguson of The Scotsman talks to one of the most important - but least known - figures in Scottish Rugby.

"Scotland's World Cup campaign moves into second gear next week with the first EMC warm-up Test against Ireland, Glasgow and Edinburgh are moving from army camps to game tactics and clubs across the country are putting the finishing touches to their squads for critical championships ahead of the league revamp.

"All will develop in virtual isolation, but one man watching each tier of the Scottish game is Graham Lowe. His name is one of the lesser-known in Scottish rugby. It should be one of the most well-known.

"Gordon McKie, the former SRU Chief Executive, stubbornly refused to appoint any form of rugby director in his first four years at the SRU helm, and when he did give in to a groundswell of opinion that Scottish rugby needed an individual wholly responsible on the board for, ahem, rugby, he gave it the "head of performance rugby" title, and appointed New Zealander Lowe."

In an interview with The Scotsman, Edinburgh flanker Ross Rennie talks about his return to full fitness after a troublesome knee injury.

"Ross Rennie can easily recall watching the Scotland squad prepare for the last World Cup while conducting pre-season training with Edinburgh, and so, on a sunny day when news centred on Hugo Southwell's unfortunate injury, he was happy to report that he was in terrific health himself.

"That, in itself, is a success story for the 25-year-old openside flanker, who endured a harrowing early part to his professional career. A prodigious talent that many astute judges reckoned would hold down the Scotland No 7 shirt for years before the emergence of John Barclay, a complicated knee injury suffered against Irish opposition forced him on to the sidelines for the best part of 18 months and has left him needing good physio management to get through the rigours of a full week of training at pro level, never mind in the Test arena."

In the Scotsman Duncan Ferguson reports on how Edinburgh and Glasgow are hoping to counter sluggish season ticket sales.

"Season ticket sales for Edinburgh and Glasgow are struggling to get off the ground this summer, but chief executives at both clubs insist they are confident that a fresh "supporter- focused" marketing approach will lead to a greater support for the teams in the longer term. Edinburgh crowds plummeted last season to around 1,500-2,000 on average after highs of close to 5,000.

"The on-field struggles of the team were only part of the story, with the club's chief executive Craig Docherty furious with the SRU's decision last year to close access to Edinburgh supporters to the refurbished President's Suite in Murrayfield Stadium.

"He also hit the buffers in trying to develop other initiatives designed to grow the support under the ultimate control of Gordon McKie, the former SRU chief executive."

As he prepares for his first season in charge of Edinburgh Rugby, head coach Michael Bradley takes a diplomatic approach to the question that always dogs the coaches of Scotland's two pro teams - are you your own man, or do you just do what the national coach tells you? The Scotsman's Martin Hannan reports.

"Former Edinburgh Rugby head coach Andy Robinson is currently in charge of the national side, which is in camp preparing for the World Cup in New Zealand, and he is nothing if not dedicated, as Bradley revealed.

"I got an e-mail from him this morning at 5:30am," said Bradley, "and I have to say he wasn't my most popular coach at that time - I think Andy's already on New Zealand time or something."

Bradley feels Robinson's experience at Edinburgh gives him a useful insight, and perhaps unlike previous national coaches, there is no prescription from the top as to how he should have Edinburgh playing the game.

Bradley said: "I'm the Edinburgh Rugby coach and my responsibility is to Edinburgh Rugby first and foremost. My job is to get Ws (for wins] on the board. Andy, as the national coach, recognises that as well."

Iain Morrison writes inThe Scotsman about where the SRU has to go next following the departure of their CEO.

"This was a bit like Hamlet without the prince or, depending upon your allegiance, Dracula without the Count but, even in the absence of the deposed chief executive Gordon McKie, and all the controversy that came with him, this AGM was still a towsy affair. McKie's interim successor, Jock Millican, paid tribute to the former boss and painted a rosy picture of the game in Scotland. Playing numbers have grown to 43,400 (of which 14,000 are adult) which is a big jump from the 24,000 low of six years ago.

It doesn't feel like playing numbers have almost doubled but, since much of the growth comes at age-grade level and the numbers are audited, presumably they are correct. How to keep the youngsters playing the game as adults is the next big test."

Club rugby in Scotland will take centre stage at Murrayfield today when the Scottish Rugby Union opens up a debate at its AGM on league reconstruction, the Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The SRU leaders will arrive at the national stadium this morning with 250 club delegates keen to move out of the shadows left by the dark cloud of a fortnight ago created by boardroom dissent and the departure of chief executive Gordon McKie. One new face will be present, that of Sir Moir Lockhead, the former FirstGroup chief executive, who will take over the reins from Allan Munro as the new board chairman.

"A new vice-president will also be elected, with Alan Lawson (Heriot's), Gordon Cairns (West of Scotland) and former council and board member Archie Ferguson (Lenzie) all vying for the post.

"Despite McKie's exit, it is expected that his efforts in establishing a firmer financial base for the organisation, along with finance director Eamon Hegarty, will be applauded."

Ireland's rumoured decision to withdraw from the Junior World Championship could have a ripple effect as other countries, among them Scotland and Wales, also consider their positions.The Scotsman's Alan Lorimer reports.

"Player welfare and finance appear to be the reasons behind Ireland's unconfirmed decision to pull out of next year's championship, the welfare issue being about the intensity of the competition - five matches in 17 days - at a time of year which should be about rest and recovery.

"There is also the matter that students, who form the bulk of the squads, are having to make career-affecting sacrifices to prepare for and participate in the tournament. "I don't know how 19-year-old youngsters manage it," said former Edinburgh coach, Rob Moffat, who is in Italy for the event. He added: "If you consider the time away for the Six Nations and the World Championship it's considerable. Okay if you're full time . . ."

"Yesterday the IRB issued the following statement: "We do not comment on speculation. The JWC continues to raise the bar in terms of standard and international exposure as well as playing a key player development role for participating unions. You only need to look at the 100 players who have graduated from the championship in the last three years to play Test rugby to see how successful it has been."

Chief executive Gordon McKie parted company with Scottish Rugby earlier this week © Getty Images

The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison reflects on a turbulent time for Scottish Rugby.

"McKie [Former chief executive, Gordon McKie] tried to build from the top down, probably because he believed he had no choice. With a shortage of financial and player resources every effort was made to keep the Scotland national team competitive, including the withdrawal of key players from Edinburgh and Glasgow from the Magners League run-in. He reasoned, as an accountant would, that since the Scotland team generated something like 90 per cent of the SRU's income they should get priority over and above all others. He was wrong.

"Scotland have won just one match in each of the last two Six Nations championships while the pro-teams are little better than a joke; unloved, under-resourced, poorly managed and expensive to run. Moreover we have just wasted the last six years while nothing has been done about it. It was Albert Einstein who defined madness as repeating the same action while expecting different results. The pro-teams need to try doing something different if they are to get different results and they almost certainly will when the new man arrives."

Former Scotland coach Jim Telfer believes that the chief executive discarded by the SRU seven years ago is the type of character that Scottish rugby should look for now in an effort to move the game forward.The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Bill Watson, the former Boroughmuir and Scotland back row, took up the office in 1997 and remained there until early 2004. He was credited with being the first businessman to take a grip of professional rugby at Murrayfield and lead it.

"As director of rugby at the SRU, Telfer was at the heart of those early days of the pro game, working closely with Watson to draw up a map for the direction of the game.

"Telfer acknowledges that he made mistakes, although he insists that a district format remains the only way for Scotland to compete in the pro game. He also believes that Watson was an under-rated figure."

David Ferguson of The Scotsman looks at the reasons behind Gordon McKie's decision to step down as chief executive of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU).

"Like a coach who has stayed at the helm of a team for too long, Gordon McKie yesterday quit as chief executive of the Scottish Rugby Union after accepting that his presence was no longer required at Murrayfield.

"The sound of his voice no longer had the desired response and those moving against him in the dressing room and the boardroom were now heading into the majority.

"After The Scotsman lifted the lid last Thursday on the simmering tensions within Murrayfield, which had led to a request from a board member for the suspension of McKie, the SRU board chairman Allan Munro attempted to play it down by insisting that there were no issues and the extra meeting 'simply demonstrates that the governance model of our game in Scotland is absolutely sound and is rightly held in high regard by other governing bodies'.

"It was a strange statement, one that strived to underline backing for the executives and pour oil on 'unhelpful media speculation', but only led to further questioning of why the meeting had been called if all was well."

The Scotsman's Bill Lothian looks into the latest political moves north of the border at the Scottish Rugby Union.

"Ian McLauchlan never had the reputation of shirking confrontation on the pitch and as the latest political contretemps in Scottish rugby plays out, it looks increasingly as if the ex-Scotland and Lions front row forward will have a major role in using the second - and final - year of his presidency to shape a better future for the game.

"Whether executive figures currently running the game come on board remains to be seen, for it is the view of some that McLauchlan is embroiled in trying to rein in power so as to give clubs a greater say once again.

"But what is certain is that ex-team mates who know McLauchlan portray a figure with a firm grasp of what direction he wishes to move in as well as being a thoroughly straight shooter."

Scottish Rugby's power struggle may have returned behind firmly closed doors at Murrayfield yesterday, with the protagonists emerging tight-lipped, but one man who will be watching on with a keen interest is Sir Moir Lockhead. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The 66-year-old who lives on a 300-acre cattle farm in Aberdeenshire has dipped into various aspects of Scottish rugby since being announced in February as the new man to take over from Allan Munro as SRU board chairman at the agm on 25 June. Having retired in March as chief executive of FirstGroup after 21 years, he has been turning up at rugby events across the country from the Melrose Sevens to presenting awards at Lathallan Schools' inaugural sevens tournament, and speaking to figures at various levels in the game.

"...Clearly, Lockhead will merely be one non-executive member of the SRU board when he joins, and the day-to-day operation of Scottish rugby will remain in the hands of Gordon McKie, the chief executive. However, there have been questions asked of the effectiveness of the current board and, while McKie has attracted criticism, the board must also come under scrutiny for supporting unpopular decisions, or failing to challenge them.

"The position of chairman remains a key one, and a close working relationship and understanding between a chair and chief executive is regularly cited as the route to success. But it also brings with it the responsibility to challenge."

The Scottish Rugby Union's ability to develop and hold on to young talent is now firmly under the microscope with news that promising youngsters Alex Blair and Fraser Brown have had their contracts terminated at Edinburgh and centre Mark Bennett is heading to France. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Fears have spread this season over the number of internationalists leaving the Scottish game, often with the SRU's backing as they seek to work within a tight budget. However, now concerns are rising that Scotland is losing valuable talent at both ends of the spectrum.

"Bennett, the Ayr centre who has just turned 18 and made a try-scoring Scotland under-20 debut this season, had embarked on the academy route with Glasgow, but has opted instead to turn down a senior contract and join Clermont Auvergne's academy.

"Blair, the 20-year-old brother of Mike and David and a Scotland 'A' cap last summer, has been out of action due to a back injury and is one of several players the SRU are dropping from existing contracts by invoking a six-month injury clause.

"Promising hooker Brown is another. The former Scotland U20 skipper is being released and left to find a new club next month, having failed to make his debut after a similar step-up from the academy last summer due to a neck injury. The 21-year-old is expected to be fully fit next month and Blair by August.

"Both were among Scotland's leading lights at age-grade levels, but, like most players emerging from Scottish schools and youth rugby, they had much work ahead physically and mentally to bridge the gap to the pro game."

Edinburgh interim coach Nick Scrivener is determined to bow out on a high note before making way for new coach Michael Bradley. The Daily Telegraph's Alasdair Reid reports.

"Scrivener is set to return to his native Australia – and, if rumours are to be believed, to a coaching position with ACT Brumbies – next week, bringing to an end his two-year association with the Scottish club.

"There will be farewells, too, for Scott MacLeod, the Scotland lock who is moving to Japan to join Kobe Steelers, and David Blair, the fly-half who is retiring from rugby to concentrate on a career in teaching. As well as which, a handful of players have yet to re-sign for Edinburgh and will take the field in the knowledge that they could be playing their last games for the capital side.

"Edinburgh currently hold eighth place in the Magners table, but a bonus-point victory could lever them ahead of the Dragons, who host Ulster, who will be looking to strengthen their play-off slot position, at Rodney Parade. It would be easy to dismiss the Treviso game as a meaningless mid-table encounter, but Scrivener stressed his wish to leave the club on a high note."

Peter Wright and Craig Chalmers have thrown their names into the mix for assistant coach roles with Edinburgh if new chief Michael Bradley is inclined to promote local talent. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Tom Smith is the remaining coach on the Edinburgh staff and he is understood to be keen to remain in the capital and work with Bradley.

"The Irishman said on Tuesday that he would be looking at a traditional three-man coaching set-up with a backs coach and forwards coach underneath him.

"If he hits it off with Smith then it may be unlikely that Wright - the current Glasgow Hawks director of rugby and Scotland under-20s head coach, and like Smith a former Scotland and Lions prop - would also secure a spot, but that did not put him off."

New Edinburgh coach Michael Bradley believes that he has what it takes to turn around a Scottish side on the slide. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The SRU's struggles to increase investment in the professional teams has led it to a coach in Michael Bradley who perhaps knows better than anyone how to maintain focus and motivation against the odds, having led the fourth province in Ireland. The IRFU tried to disband Connacht at one stage but reconsidered after supporters marched in the streets alongside players holding banners insisting that they must remain. That was perhaps the big difference between the Irish team and the Borders, who the SRU closed twice with little more than a whimper from rugby supporters across the South district. The proviso with the IRFU was that Connacht would survive, but only with decreased funding.

"After finishing a bright ninth in his first season in 2003-4, Bradley's team occupied the bottom spot in the Magners League for each of the last three seasons, having been spared the last position by the Borders and Glasgow in the three years before that.

"The personable 48-year-old was welcomed to Edinburgh yesterday by Craig Docherty, the Edinburgh chief executive. Asked what made Bradley the top candidate, Docherty said: "Michael has vast experience and the determination to ensure the club goes from strength to strength."

The Scotsman's Allan Massie laments the state of the Scottish pro clubs.

"The opening weeks of next season look like being miserable ones for Glasgow and Edinburgh, weakened by departures and the absence of players on World Cup duty, and without adequate reserves to replace them. Sean Lineen has some experience of making bricks without straw, but Glasgow's sorry position, languishing near the foot of the Magners League, shows that this is a tough demand, even for one of his invincible optimism.

"He will have to piece together a side lacking Graeme Morrison, Ruaridh Jackson, Chris Cusiter, Moray Low, Dougie Hall (or Fraser Thomson), Alistair Kellock, Richie Gray, Johnnie Beattie and John Barclay. Just to cheer him up, Bernardo Stortoni is off to herd cattle on the pampas, Aly Muldowney is departing for Exeter and Kevin Tkachuk is retiring."

Scottish rugby's last link with the famous 1938 Triple Crown-winning side was believed to have been lost this week with the passing of Allan Roy, the former Waterloo and Scotland forward, but The Scotsman's David Ferguson has discovered that not to be the case.

"The Scottish Rugby Union, who keep the records of all former internationalists and invite them regularly to reunions, had lost all contact with Dr William Brewitt 'Bill' Young who left with his wife to become a missionary in Kenya. After attempts to contact him in later years failed, it was believed that he had passed away while in Africa.

"In the statement released to announce Roy's death, the SRU said: "Records suggest that Roy was the last survivor of Scotland's 1938 Triple Crown clinching victory over England at Twickenham." However, after reporting the death of Roy this week, a fellow former missionary friend of Dr Young contacted us to confirm that he was very much alive and well, having left Kenya after the death of his wife and returned to work as a GP in the south of England.

"His friend, David Thomson, told us: "I struck up a great friendship with Bill and he remains alive and well in the south of England.

"He married again, to a wonderful lady called Flora, who comes from Ayrshire originally, and though he is now in a residential home in Kent they are both very much fit and well."

"WB Young, a big back row born in Ardrossan, made a winning debut against Wales at St Helens in 1937 and made another eight consecutive appearances, forming part of the back row that defeated England in the 1938 Triple Crown. He still has a picture of himself shaking hands with King George VI before the match at Twickenham."

If Andy Robinson thinks he has a problem with the paucity of players to choose from, he should try coaching one of the national age-grade teams who are selected from what is more a puddle than a pool of talent.The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison writes.

"It makes winning tough and, just two years ago, the Scottish under-18s lost twin Tests against their English counterparts by a combined score of 138-0.

"So it was as welcome as it was unexpected when the U17 and U18 teams both triumphed over the Auld Enemy in recent weeks. Both matches were also away from home, in Leeds

"The U18s kickstarted things with a 26-21 victory just a week after losing to Japan High Schools in Glasgow. The U17s then backed them up with a very healthy 30-10 win over the nation which boasts the largest number of players on the planet.

"Many rugby enthusiasts would recognise Mark Bennet's name from the U20 squad but another Ayr midfielder in the form of Robbie Ferguson took centre stage for the U18s. Ferguson showed up well for Kenny Murray's side in the British and Irish Cup and he was just as assured for the international side."

The Scotsman's Gareth Black reflects on the sad passing of Gala stalwart Bob Burrell.

"George Murray, former secretary of the South and a fellow referee, recalled: "Bob was a great humorist on and off the field and was a great one for encouraging the fun side of refereeing. He was an excellent referee and an inspiration to other referees.

"Ask anyone in Gala and they'll have a Bob Burrell story to tell. One of my favourites concerns a young Douglas Morgan playing against Langholm down at Milntown. Douglas broke down the blindside next to the stand but he was caught and ended up at the bottom of a ruck, where he was stood on and pushed face down in the mud.

"Douglas appealed to Bob 'What about that ref?' to which Bob replied, 'If I were you son I wouldn't go up the blindside again!'

"He was such a personality, the Jim Renwick of his day. He loved his rugby and wasn't very good at getting home early on a Saturday night."

The Scotsman's Scott Wight reports from the home side's long-awaited success at the latest staging of the Melrose Sevens.

"Craig Chalmers remembers vividly the squad he was a part of in 1996-97, when Melrose claimed a unique domestic "Grand Slam" of Scottish Division One, Scottish Cup, Border League and Melrose Sevens trophies.

"It had never been done before and has never been achieved since, but after watching his team claim the first of those four on Saturday, ending a 13-year wait for another Melrose Sevens triumph, Chalmers admitted he believes this group is capable of emulating the feat over the next 16 days, starting with the Scottish Cup Final against Ayr on Saturday.

"The Melrose team that swept all before them 14 years ago included players such as Derek Stark, Rowen Shepherd and Peter Wright, as well as a core of locally produced international talent, including Chalmers, Bryan Redpath, Graham Shiel and Carl Hogg. There are no full internationalists involved now, but a similarly ambitious group built around a solid home-grown core."

Memories of a golden era have been rekindled in the Borders' pursuit of a league and cup double according to The Scotsman's Richard Bath.

"All eyes were on Melrose yesterday for the Sevens, and it's a feeling that the club will be getting used to over the next fortnight. In consecutive weeks the Borders side are back at Murrayfield for their fourth national cup final in a row where they will face Ayr, followed the week after by the visit of the same opponents to the Greenyards for a match which could see Melrose seal their first league title since 1997.

"Those two matches against Ayr constitute, says veteran flanker and forwards coach John Dalziel, "the most important week for Melrose for the past 14 years". With the club fighting for silverware on two fronts, it certainly feels as if the side is on the cusp of a return to the halcyon days of the 1990s when the men in the famous yellow and black hoops won six league titles in eight years.

"Yet Melrose have reached this tipping point without making major changes to their squad along the way, a fact that 34-year-old Dalziel hopes will ensure that success is here to stay. "This is the sixth season for (head coach] Craig (Chalmers] and myself, and our league position has got better each year," he says."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson talks to Edinburgh's David Blair following his decision to quit the pro game.

"It is easy to state that Blair simply did not cut it in pro rugby, and few Edinburgh supporters may curse his departure, hoping, of course, that a better stand-off takes his place. But Blair is not the only one wondering "what if". What if he had not been cruelly kneed in the back after just taking over from Sale's injured fly-half Charlie Hodgson four years ago, and enjoyed a lengthy run in the hard school of the English Premiership?

"What if he had not ripped part of his hand open when he was starting before Phil Godman at Edinburgh a year later, and instead ended up spending months in rehab? Blair, arguably the least cocksure of Edinburgh's trio of Blair brothers, does not imagine he would have metamorphosed into Dan Carter had those opportunities not been lost, but he does wonder what kind of player he may have been with that exposure."

Ahead of the forthcoming performance review to be conducted by Scottish Rugby, The Scotsman's Allan Massie offers his views on where things are going wrong at an international and club level.

"Edinburgh and Glasgow need to be bolstered by the recruitment of a couple of battle-hardened players each from the southern hemisphere. All their rivals have such players. Ulster's Springbok star Rudi Pienaar beat Glasgow almost by himself last week. The time when Edinburgh came closest to matching the best was when they had Todd Blackadder and Brendan Laney in their team. Somehow the SRU must find the cash to secure comparable recruits. Aren't there businesses or rich individuals who might be ready to pay for them?

"Without money there will be no consistent success. Occasionally big matches will be won, but defeat will be more common. Success in professional team sports generally goes to the big and rich battalions. The two teams at the bottom of this season's French top 14 - La Rochelle and Bourgoin - are the two with the smallest budgets."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports as Scottish Rugby announce a performance review - the first since 2007.

"Gordon McKie turned the spotlight firmly on the merits of professional rugby in Scotland yesterday, and insisted that he could only guarantee the future of Edinburgh and Glasgow up to 2014 unless changes resulted in success.

"The SRU chief executive insisted that to suggest there was no security for the teams beyond that date would be alarmist and sensationalist, but at no time in the media briefing held at Murrayfield did McKie offer the belief that the professional teams were a central tenet of Scottish rugby's future.

"What was clear in yesterday's briefing was that McKie and Scotland head coach Andy Robinson view the national team as the priority in Scottish rugby.

"It is into it that the rest of the game feeds, with the failure of the professional teams to compete with the best in the Magners League consistently, and qualify for the Heineken Cup quarter- finals, against teams with double, and in some leading European cases quadruple the funding Edinburgh and Glasgow receive, root causes of Scottish rugby's wider financial problems, such as disappointing crowds and struggles to secure broadcast and sponsorship revenue."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson reflects on Scotland coach Andy Robinson's decision to withdraw five of his top players from club rugby for the rest of the season.

"Robinson is acutely aware, therefore, of the need to have his best players available for a World Cup in which he will have to overcome Romania, Georgia and at least one of Argentina or England to maintain Scotland's 100 per cent record of reaching quarter-finals.

"And he acknowledged that while he remains hopeful of securing the release of some players currently in England, as well as France, Ireland and Wales, for the summer camp, many of them will play intense games over the next six weeks.

"He also acknowledged that the decision, made with the understanding but not delight of Nick Scrivener at Edinburgh and Glasgow's Sean Lineen, would not please supporters, and while the fact that both teams were not in the running for the Magners League play-offs the action may have been taken even if they were."

In the Scotsman Allan Massie calls for a return to the international scene for Bath's Simon Taylor.

"I would imagine that Andy Robinson and his fellow coaches have already inked in the names of pretty well the whole squad they will be taking to New Zealand, and I would hope that, given the lowly position of Edinburgh and Glasgow in the Magners League, they would suggest politely that some at least of the first-choice Scotland team be given an early holiday to refresh them for what's to follow. Unfortunately, they have no say concerning the club calls made on half their first XV.

Perhaps they will tempt Simon Taylor back into the squad. He is fitter than he has been for years, having played 18 matches for Bath this season, most of them for the full 80 minutes. He may no longer be the explosive runner of his youth, but given that we have four physically- as well as mentally - demanding pool games, his experience and defensive ability would surely be invaluable."

The Scotsman's Stuart Bathgate reacts to the announcement that Murrayfield will remain Edinburgh's home for the next five years.

"In fact, no matter how it is tricked out or tarted up, Murrayfield will remain an incongruous venue for the size of crowd which Edinburgh attract. For most games, a ground the size of Myreside or Goldenacre would have adequate capacity. For really big occasions, if they ever arise, Easter Road or Tynecastle would fit the bill. But all those grounds have one obvious disadvantage, as far as Edinburgh and the SRU are concerned: cost. It would cost rent to Hibs or Hearts and it would cost to upgrade rugby's club grounds to the requisite level.

"But then rugby has been a professional sport for the past 15 years or so. Proper investment is an integral part of it, at least if any success is going to arise.By tying Edinburgh to Murrayfield for the next five years, the SRU has minimised its cost. Whether the proposals can maximise the team's audience is another matter entirely."

Twickenham has been a bogey ground for Scotland © Getty Images

David Ferguson catches up with David Leslie as Scotland plot another siege of Twickenham in The Scotsman.

"He still calls himself Niccolo, after the Italian philosopher Machiavelli. He laughs as he says it, but it is clear that while David Leslie may still be treading a new path of recovery from the severe injuries he suffered over two years ago, when he fell 20 feet off a roof and on to concrete, head first, he is the same character that struck fear into international defences, and some of his team-mates, 30 years ago.

"Relaxing at his home in Dundee, now 52, Leslie recalls vividly aspects of the last Scotland win at Twickenham in 1983, when he and a fine Scotland team recovered from defeats to Ireland, France and Wales to march on the English capital "with nothing to lose" and emerged triumphant, 22-12, to end a 12-year wait for success at the old 'cabbage patch'."

Quintin Dunlop's Test career was short and spectacular, comprising
a pair of wins in a week over England, he tells the Scotland on Sunday's Tom English.

""That's it there," he says, pointing to the sacred garment, the one he wore on 20 March, 1971 when he made his debut for Scotland at the age of 27 and played a part in their first victory at Twickenham in 33 years. Oh yes, history recalls Chris Rea's late, late try and Peter Brown's nerveless conversion and little more than that, but Dunlop was there all right. Proud as could be. Still is.

"He was there a week later, too. The 1971 season was odd in so many ways. It brought a momentous Scotland win over England in London and then another a week later in Edinburgh. It finished 26-6 in the Centenary International of 27 March. Five tries to none. The biggest winning margin in the fixture ever to that point. It was written that Scotland had never before played with such fire and craft, that it was peformance fit for a king and watched by a prince.

"The Prince of Wales was in attendance. Clueless, but watching all the same. Before the match, when introduced to the teams, he'd asked Alastair McHarg, the Test second-row of three years standing, a question that rather betrayed his innocence. "You're a forward - or something?" But even Charles would have been able to figure out the havoc that Scotland wreaked on England, a defeat that sparked some self-mocking humour that was best summed-up by their centre, Chris Wardlow - "I would like to make a pile of every kilt and bagpipe on which I could lay my hands and burn the lot" - and added to by Edward Heath at the post-match dinner. "I think I shall address you not as an Englishman but the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom," he smiled."

Scotland flanker Kelly Brown has overcome his stammer © Getty Images

Scotland flanker Kelly Brown tells Brendan Gallagher about overcoming his stammer in The Daily Telegraph.

"Physical pain was a fact of life at the coalface of elite rugby but it was the insidious mental strain of trying to cope with a lifelong stammer that was beginning to grind him down.

"Brown had just concluded a BBC interview on the eve of Scotland’s opening Six Nations game against France last year when he reviewed the tape with horror, so much so that he asked the Scottish Rugby Union press team to contact the BBC with a polite, very personal request that they scrap the item. Which they did.

“I hadn’t realised just how bad it had become, because most of the time you find ways of coping,” reflects Brown. “It was pretty awful and demoralising. I could hardly talk and when I was struggling for a word, like many stammerers, I started blinking and the eyes start rolling. It was distressing watching myself. ‘What must people think of me?’ was the question I kept asking.”

Phil Godman is considering playing club rugby in Australia or New Zealand this summer in a bid to prove his fitness and form for inclusion in Scotland's World Cup squad. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The 28-year-old stand-off suffered a cruciate ligament injury in Edinburgh training in September.

"Jason White, Simon Taylor and Nathan Hines, are other high-profile victims of similar injuries who experienced seven to nine-month recovery spells and, having undergone surgery in late October and now been given the all-clear to return to running, Godman is hopeful that he could be fit enough to play in May. Unfortunately, Edinburgh's season is set to end on the first weekend of that month.

"I would like to get back to playing for Edinburgh, but only if that was realistic," he said. "With the World Cup coming up I'd have to have played games to have a chance but, rather than play before I'm ready, I might go to the southern hemisphere, Australia or New Zealand probably, to get games.

"It was talked about when I had the injury, and is being talked about again now. All the (Scotland] guys will be in camp in June and July doing fitness work, but I'll have done that so my priority will be match fitness and sharpening up and, with no tours and only two World Cup warm-ups, I have to look to the south. But I'm happy with that. I obviously want to get back playing for Scotland again, and would love to be part of a World Cup, because I missed out on the last one, but I have to prove I am fit and in good form to achieve that."

Scottish Rugby Union chief executive Gordon McKie discusses Andy Robinson's apology following the defeat to Wales and the disappointing ticket sales with The Scotsman's Stuart Bathgate.

Scotland supporters voted with their feet in two different ways last week - once in the case of those who opted to stay away from the Wales game, and a second time in the case of those who walked out early after seeing the team go 16-0 down in the first half. "Yes, we were very disappointed with the performance," McKie accepted. "It was unacceptable, and one I'm sure Andy (Robinson] will want to tackle head-on next week when he comes back.

"I saw them (leaving] as well. That sort of thing I do notice and it troubles me greatly. Andy was not slow to apologise to me personally, which is a measure of the man. He recognises there is a correlation between performance and attendance, and people leaving early is unsatisfactory from our perspective. The team need to play to a level that makes people want to stay till the end of the game."

Scotland were well beaten by Wales © Getty Images

Scotland legend David Sole reaches for the thesaurus in order to properly describe Scotland's performance against Wales in The Daily Telegraph.

"One of the great things about modern word processing software is the thesaurus facility and its ability to suggest a plethora of alternative words to substitute for the one that you first considered.

"For example, looking for an alternative to inept, one is spoilt for choice – incompetent, ham-fisted, hopeless or bungling all pop up. There aren’t quite as many synonyms for toothless, but ineffectual is probably not a bad choice.

"You see, it is hard to find exactly the right adjective to describe Scotland’s performance against Wales on Saturday because it is probably best described by a number of different words, most of them already in the above paragraph – as Captain Kellock admitted after the match, the team simply didn’t turn up."

Tom Enlgish describes Scotland's performance in defeat to Wales as a "colossal disappointment" in Scotland on Sunday

"Scotland showed a cataclysmic inability to seize the moment when Wales were reduced to 14 and then 13 men in the first half. They scored just three points in that period and in those moments they ceded a massive psychological advantage to the visitors. It was the seminal passage of the evening. As Warren Gatland said: "That was the game."

"This was a colossal disappointment for Scotland and they were in no mood to soft soap it in the aftermath. The look of dejection on the faces of Andy Robinson and Al Kellock said everything. They were hurting, they were embarrassed, they were sorry."

Richie Gray enjoyed a huge match for Scotland © Getty Images

Allan Massie reviews an open encounter between France and Scotland and reserves praise for the excellent Richie Gray in The Scotsman.

"Our sports editor must be prescient. The back page of Saturday's sports section had the headline: "Scotland's three stirring tries are not enough"; and lo and behold, they weren't.

"The headline of course belonged to Norman Mair's report of the France-Scotland game at the Parc des Princes in 1979, reprinted for general interest.

"The score that day was 21-17 to France. So history didn't repeat itself exactly. Still it came close to doing so, and indeed in many respects this splendid open match, played at pace, with high levels of skill and, it seemed, consistent good humour with no tiresome niggles, recalled a good many Parisian encounters between France and Scotland from, say, the early Seventies to the late Eighties - the days of Andy Irvine, Jim Renwick, John Rutherford, the Hastings brothers, and superb back rows on either side. Moreover no Scottish lock since the great Alastair McHarg can ever have got himself about the field as the marvellous young Richie Gray did on Saturday."

Iain Morrison attempts to second guess Andy Robinson's selection for Scotland's opening Six Nations match against France in the Scotsman.

"His front row picks itself these days but he has a three-into-two problem in the boiler house and Nathan Hines will start because Robinson didn't so much hint it as shout it from the rooftops, so effusive was he in praising the big Aussie.

Hines will start but there is still a question as to where? The coach admitted that he was tempted to play him at blindside flanker, as he did against South Africa, which spells bad news for Kelly Brown but good news for Richie Gray and Al Kellock, both of whom could then be accommodated in the second row.

Robinson was giving nothing away on the captaincy but there remains a lingering suspicion that if Kellock merits a place in the run-on team then he will lead the side after his sterling efforts in South America. If Kellock doesn't make the XV then the team would presumably be skippered by whichever scrum-half is the flavour of the month. The long Glasgow lock has one final chance to stake his claim this afternoon against the Dragons."

In the Scotsman, Allan Massie assesses the relative strengths of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

"The contrast between Glasgow's 20-10 win and Edinburgh's 37-0 defeat at the hands of Northampton, admittedly away from home, says much about the difference between the two clubs. Edinburgh can play brilliant 15-man rugby. Nobody who has watched them over the season can reasonably dispute this. Indeed, their first-half performance in the home game against the same opponents a few weeks ago was outstanding. They scored three of the best tries one has seen from any Scottish team against good opposition for years - perhaps since that astonishing first-half in Paris in 1999 when Scotland scored five tries within 30 minutes. Nevertheless, Edinburgh lost that game, too, if only by the narrow margin 31-27. They lost in the same way and for the same reason that they tend to lose matches: because their set-piece was not good enough and they were beaten up-front, therefore found themselves playing on the back foot.

"When Glasgow's pack is going well, as it did against Wasps last week, they are formidable opponents for anyone. Edinburgh's pack is underpowered. Glasgow's locks, Alastair Kellock and Richie Gray, are heavier and stronger than any pair Edinburgh can field. Scott MacLeod is excellent in the line-out and a skilful ball-player. Fraser Mackenzie also has rare skills, but is at least a couple of years short of full physical development. Glasgow are stronger at No 8, too, with Johnnie Beattie, Richie Vernon and Ryan Wilson, named man of the match against Wasps. Edinburgh frequently have to field their captain, Roddy Grant, in that position. He is a splendid player but his real position is No 7. Indeed, Edinburgh often play an entire back-row of 7s: Ross Rennie, Grant and Alan MacDonald."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson reflects on Scotland coach Andy Robinson#s decision to draft in three uncapped players into his Six Nations squad.

"As forecast, there are few changes to the Scotland squad which Robinson took to five wins and a draw from ten Test matches in 2010, his first full year in charge.

"The core of the side which defeated Ireland, Argentina, South Africa and Samoa is expected to remain in place when Scotland launch a year that begins in France and ends in New Zealand at the seventh Rugby World Cup.

"Johnnie Beattie is included, although he will have to prove his fitness in Scotland A games before returning to the matchday 22, having only played two games this season. Glasgow captain Alastair Kellock is also back, along with centres Nick De Luca and Alex Grove and wingers Rory Lamont and Simon Danielli.

"Chris Cusiter, Graeme Morrison, Jim Hamilton, Alasdair Dickinson and Phil Godman are all injured but the first four named could all come into contention later in the championship.

"Robinson has placed a high priority on form in his camp and insisted that all 34 players named yesterday had a chance of playing in the Six Nations."

January 16, 2011

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 01/16/2011

Ready - or not? Rookies pushing for Six Nations squad

The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison cast his eye over Andy Robinson's options ahead of the Six Nations Championship.

"Andy Robinson will announce a squad of 30-odd players this Wednesday in addition to another smaller squad who will compete for places in the Scotland A team which plays Ireland on Friday 28th January at Netherdale. The A team will be bolstered by those players cut from the senior squad when Robinson trims his numbers.

"The year 2011 is finally upon us and no one can quite escape the elephant in the locker room. It is a World Cup year and, rightly or wrongly, that matters. Everything that happens in the rugby world is skewed by this knowledge, every selection, every comment, every action will be scrutinised through the microscope of New Zealand 2011.

"The run up to the World Cup is not normally the time to introduce new caps into the equation. Rookies don't often compete in World Cups let alone help to win them. The record books show that teams with heaps of experience win the big games, which is why Graham Henry started capping youngsters immediately after the last World Cup.

"Sadly the Scotland coach does not have the same luxury of bedding in his young hopefuls in quite such an orderly manner."

January 8, 2011

Posted by Ruaidhri O'Connor on 01/08/2011

Credit McKie for clearing up the mess

The Scotsman's Allan Massie reflects on Scotland Rugby Union chief Gordon McKie's first five years in charge and finds there is still much to do to improve Scottish rugby.

"There have been improvements on the rugby side. The bitter in-fighting which characterised the decade after the introduction of professionalism has eased. More attention has been given to developing the club game. The national team's record has improved since the dismal days when Matt Williams was Scotland's coach. The two pro teams have achieved respectable results. These may not be half as good as most of us would wish. Nevertheless in view of the disparity of resources available to them in comparison with leading clubs in England, France, Wales and Ireland, the record is, as I say, respectable.

"Yet the problem of taking the pro game forward is , sadly, no nearer a solution than it was when Mr McKie became chief executive in 2005. Attendances remain much lower than in the other Magners League countries. It is almost embarrassing to compare the enthusiasm for professional rugby in Wales and Ireland with the absence of it here. We are no nearer finding a suitable ground for either Glasgow or Edinburgh than we were ten or a dozen years ago. Firhill is too narrow. The Murrayfield stadium will remain utterly unsuitable for club rugby until Edinburgh can attract crowds at least ten times larger than those they draw now.

"Inevitably, both Edinburgh and Glasgow lose leading players at the end of most seasons. Andy Robinson could ,if he wished ,pick a Scotland XV capable of giving a good account of itself from Scots playing their club rugby out of Scotland. The exodus weakens the teams, yet is unavoidable. There is, of course, some compensation. The departure of an international player offers opportunities which might otherwise be denied to younger players."

January 5, 2011

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 01/05/2011

Scotland Sevens scene facing the axe?

Sevens is set to boom across the world in the next decade but it remains doubtful whether its founding nation will play any meaningful part in that. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The Scottish Rugby Union agreed to play a host role in the IRB World Sevens Series from 2007-2011, but controversially opted not to locate at the Greenyards and tap into the rich history and traditions there and instead make Murrayfield its Scottish home. It made sense in terms of the facilities the national stadium had to offer, which players and officials regularly remark upon, but it is estimated that it will have cost the SRU over £1 million.

"At a time of belt-tightening the SRU is currently examining the future of sevens in a strategic review, including whether to remain part of the circuit in whatever new guise the IRB agree for post-2011, and how to fund the team's participation on the world stage, having already cut the funding this year and sent a largely club team to the 2010-11 world series openers."

January 4, 2011

Posted by Mark Doyle on 01/04/2011

Still no clearer

Edinburgh's Ruaridh Jackson is one of Scotland's most exciting young talents © Getty Images

Writing in The Scotsman, Stuart Bathgate argues that Scotland boss Andy Robinson will have learned little from the recent clashes between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh.

"The 1872 Cup is the closest we have these days to a national trial, although without the players based in England of course. Just how close will be demonstrated later this month when Scotland coach Andy Robinson names his squad for the Six Nations Championship.

"After this season's two-leg affair ended in a win apiece and an aggregate victory for Glasgow, several players must be hoping that Robinson does not give too much weight to the evidence from those back-to-back matches.

"Following a successful second half of 2010, the coach already has firm ideas about his squad for the Championship. Those who underperformed at Firhill and Murrayfield will be eager for him to maintain those ideas, or at least to defer a definitive judgment until after the impending Magners League and Heineken Cup games rather than reaching a conclusion purely from the two domestic clashes."

January 3, 2011

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 01/03/2011

A win of rare drama

Edinburgh's Simon Webster tackles Glasgow's DTH Van Der Merwe during their Magners League clash at Murrayfield © Getty Images

After a run of four successive losses to their rivals from the other end of the M8, Edinburgh yesterday produced a win of rare drama to bring to an end their depressing run of 1872 Cup results. The Scotsman's Richard Bath reports.

"The outcome was, however, in doubt until deep into injury time, when Edinburgh full-back Jim Thompson picked off a Colin Gregor pass in the home side's 22 and sprinted the length of the pitch for the try which finally settled an enthralling contest.

"If the margin of victory looks comfortable, it was no such thing. This was a mighty close shave for Edinburgh, who should have closed the match out but instead finished it holding onto a four-point lead with grim determination as Glasgow looked for the winning try, the visitors battering at the door in a frenzied final period in which at one stage they put together a 15-phase movement.

"It says much for the home side's character that they weathered that final assault before seizing the chance to kill off Glasgow once and for all."

January 2, 2011

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 01/02/2011

Odd-shaped crystal ball

As a Rugby World Cup year begins, the Scotland on Sunday's Iain 'Mystic' Morrison looks into his odd-shaped crystal ball.

"Andy Robinson Appointed to Coach the Lions - The composite side won't tour Australia until 2013 but the coach will be announced shortly after the Six Nations to give him a decent run at the job, and Scotland's favourite Englishman is the obvious candidate, although he will need another respectable showing in the Six Nations to cement his refurbished reputation.

"Ian McGeechan has given wonderful service that won't be matched in our lifetime but it's time to move onwards and Bath's less-than-glorious exit from the Heineken Cup at the hands of Ulster suggests that the years are beginning to catch up with him.

"Robinson knows many of the England squad almost as well as his own Scots and other Welsh/Irish players from his time as Lions assistant coach in 2001 and 2005. In fact he has more Lions experience than anyone else with the exception of McGeechan. He also has the benefit of not being foreign, because while Graham Henry did a decent job when the Lions last toured Oz, the feeling persists that a native is preferable.

"Would Gordon McKie prevent Robinson from going or, more likely, use the freedom to coach the Lions as an incentive to persuade the coach to extend his stint with Scotland beyond March 2012?"

December 28, 2010

Posted by Jonny McLeod on 12/28/2010

No Messiah

Andy Robinson may not have worked miracles for Scotland but they have improved under his stewardship © Getty Images

David Ferguson assesses Scotland's year under head coach Andy Robinson in The Scotsman with the Six Nations games against Wales in Cardiff and Ireland in Dublin standing out.

"This was the first full year with Andy Robinson and his coaching team at the helm of the Scotland national side and 2010 proved the Englishman to be an experienced, astute and highly promising head coach, but patently not the Messiah.

Scotland essentially had the good luck to have Robinson in the country after he had taken on the Edinburgh post in an effort to return to the game away from England, and leading his side to another of those great against-the-odds Murrayfield wins, against Australia in 2009, which marked a first beating of the Wallabies in 27 years, helped ease him into the new role and the public consciousness...

There was little to remember other than the games in Cardiff and Dublin, but those memories make the Six Nations what it is. They also showed that Robinson could not bring to Scotland the magic one might associate with the Messiah, but thankfully neither did he prove to be a naughty boy in the style of the winless Matt Williams; merely, a coach feeling his way with a new squad, but with a belief that started to filter through in 2010."

Posted by Jonny McLeod on 12/28/2010

Sweet fixture turns sour

In The Scotsman, Bill Lothian delivers his verdict on Edingburgh's game against Glasgow at Firhill.

"In the build-up to the first leg of the annual double-header with Glasgow an Edinburgh Rugby player compared the team's specially designed strip-of-many-colours to a packet of Opal Fruits. Wrong. Opal Fruits leave a pleasant taste whereas Edinburgh's performance in a 30-18 defeat by Glasgow at Firhill left a sensation equivalent to an oral rinse using soap powder.

For the first time in 14 matches this season Edinburgh failed to score a try but would that is where woes begin and end. Alas, it is now over 240 minutes since Edinburgh actually managed a touchdown in meetings with their supposed arch-rivals (all lost) but again let's keep things in perspective.

For 61 minutes the boot of David Blair kept Edinburgh in touch to the extent that the stand off went within one of equalling Chris Paterson's six-year-old record of seven penalties in a league fixture but that was the merest of sub-plots in the greater of scheme of things.

And the bigger picture? Glasgow came from 13-18 behind in the final 19 minutes which was bad enough but it could have been so, so different and that is what must have really stung travelling supporters in a crowd of 7062 as they journeyed back along a foggy and frozen M8."

December 27, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 12/27/2010

Borders and boundaries

Allan Massie calls for more interest in the Borders from Edinburgh in The Scotsman.

"Actually, it would be a good idea if Edinburgh were to decide to play a handful of their Magners League (or indeed Heineken) games at Netherdale. The crowd would probably be no smaller than the usual one at Murrayfield, and by playing some games in Galashiels they might persuade more Borderers to make the trip to watch them in Edinburgh. It's not essential to play all your home games on the same ground. Munster, after all, play matches in Cork as well as Limerick. A spot of enterprise would be welcome.

"As for local interest Edinburgh can field almost a complete XV with Border origins or connections. For example: Jim Thompson (Bill McLaren's grandson); Mark Robertson (Melrose), John Houston (Hawick), Nick De Luca (Border Reivers), Lee Jones (Selkirk); Chris Paterson (Gala), Greig Laidlaw (Jedforest); Nicky Little (Hawick) or Robin Hislop (Langholm), Ross Ford (Kelso), Geoff Cross (Galashiels Academy), Scott MacLeod (Hawick), Craig Hamilton (Border Reivers), Scott Newlands (Border Reivers), A.N.Other, Roddy Grant (Border Reivers and Bob Burrell's grandson). There's a No 8 missing, but A.N.Other could be Natani Talei, no less a Borderer than an Edinburgh man. Two other Border backs would still be available for the bench: James King (Melrose) and Gregor Hunter (Gala)."

December 20, 2010

Posted by Mark Doyle on 12/20/2010

Noughties were nice

Edinburgh fullback Chris Paterson has been one of his country's most reliable performers over the past ten years © Getty Images

The Scotsman's Bill Lothian names his Scotland team of the decade.

"Coach Andy Robinson's Scotland rugby team will enter the new decade enjoying a stability that has been unprecedented throughout these noughties years that are about to end.

"So, on the back of six matches unbeaten out of seven is it not reasonable to expect many of the players utilised by Robinson to dominate any Scotland line-up chosen from those who have pulled on the dark blue jersey over the past ten years?

"Well, yes. In this observer's view history is bound to confirm, for example, that Chris Paterson as an all-time Scotland great. What's more, for the purposes of this selection 'Mossy' can be justified entirely on the grounds that he is the only player to have been capped this season who debuted back in the '90s but remains in the forefront of the game and never mind that the Lions chose to ignore his abilities."

December 19, 2010

Posted by Jonny McLeod on 12/19/2010

Scottish retreat from Europe

Glasgow trip up against Toulouse in France © Getty Images

Iain Morrison, writing in The Scotsman, believes the failures in Europe of Edinburgh and Glasgow is due to lack of funding from the governing body.

“Fans of Scotland's two pro teams are beginning to know what Napoleon felt like on the long retreat from Moscow, as yet another European campaign ends in humiliating retreat in a snow-bound landscape before Christmas is properly upon us.

Even before yesterday's match Glasgow had already lost at home to Toulouse and Edinburgh were second best in their opening three matches, so the chance of either Scots side qualifying for so much as the Amlin Cup is about as likely as Prince Charles joining the student protesters in Parliament Square. It's a nice thought but it's just not going to happen.

If there is fault it lies not necessarily with the clubs, who still claim the odd top-class scalp for their mantelpiece, but with the governing body which has failed to put in place the financial structures to allow Edinburgh and Glasgow to hold on to their best players. Only that way can they compete with a mature and experienced group rather than having to rebuild the squad each and every season.

The funding gap with most of the Heineken opposition is substantial and it can grow to spectacular widths against the richest of the French clubs. Edinburgh's chairman Jim Calder sees no obvious and immediate solution to the problem of our pro teams' lack of progress in Europe, but he has started one initiative to raise some much-needed investment for the capital club.”

December 8, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 12/08/2010

Barclay tipped for Scots captaincy

John Barclay's continuing progress towards world-class status will see him named Scotland captain within a few years, according to a former holder of the post. The Scotsman's Stuart Bathgate reports.

"Seventy-five-times capped Gordon Bulloch believes the Glasgow flanker's leadership is quickly becoming as impressive as his defensive abilities, and thinks that if Barclay and his team-mates play at the top of their form they have a chance of upsetting Toulouse when the Heineken Cup resumes on Friday.

"He's an exceptional talent," said Bulloch, who retired from playing last season and is now a non-executive member of the Scottish Rugby Board. "It's great for Glasgow and for rugby in Scotland that John has opted to play at home for a while longer.

"His defensive qualities are remarkable and his leadership qualities are really developing now as well. I can see him being Scotland captain in two or three years."

"Barclay, 24, signed a new two-year deal this year with Glasgow, the team he joined as an apprentice six years ago. An outstanding performer in Scotland's recent win over South Africa at Murrayfield, he will have to play to a similar standard against the French club at Firhill, according to Bulloch, if Glasgow are to keep their Heineken hopes alive."

December 4, 2010

Posted by Jonny McLeod on 12/04/2010

North-south divide as wide as ever

Writing in The Scotsman, Allan Massie says that the autumn internationals have shown that the north-south divide is as wide as ever, but that should not detract from what should be a fascinating Six Nations.

"There is, sadly, little sign that the gap between the north and south is closing. That must be the conclusion after the autumn internationals.

New Zealand were unbeaten, and scarcely ever stretched. South Africa lost to Scotland and Australia to England. On the last weekend the All Blacks strolled to victory in Cardiff, where the final score of 37-25 flattered Wales, South Africa brought the England revival to a shuddering halt, and Australia, playing sublime rugby in the second- half, annihilated France, Six Nations champions and Grand Slam winners. If we try to persuade ourselves that the gap is not still very wide, we shall never close it. Sure, we in the north enjoy the occasional victory but "occasional" is the word. Remember: in these autumn games we enjoy home advantage, and almost always still lose.

We can, however, forget about the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies for a few months and concentrate on the Six Nations. The tournament will, as ever, be gripping and enjoyable. No matter if six nations produce rugby half the quality provided by half the number of teams in the Tri-Nations."

November 28, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/28/2010

Problems Dan Parks can't kick away

The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison analyses a major problem facing Scotland coach Andy Robinson.

"In one of his more lucid insights into the human condition Homer Simpson once declared: "Beer, the cause of, and the solution to, all of life's problems".

"For "beer" read Dan Parks and you get some idea of the conundrum facing Andy Robinson after three EMC autumn internationals. The Australian playmaker is the crux of Scotland's recent run of excellence (overlooking the All Blacks fiasco) and he is at the heart of Scotland's woes.

"Parks showcased his match management abilities against South Africa just as he had previously done in Argentina and Dublin. Courage comes in many guises and if he is not the bravest soul on the planet with a giant breakaway blocking out the sun, still the fly-half is nerveless when lining up crucial kicks in the sort of weather that would make the AA advise you to stay indoors.

"But there is a flip side. With Parks pulling the strings for Scotland the outside backs get the ball 15 metres behind the gainline with almost all of their momentum lateral rather than forward."

November 27, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/27/2010

Isolated glory is no longer enough

The Scotsman's David Ferguson previews Scotland's final outing of the autumn against Samoa.

"Coaching a Scotland team to victory when the backs are to the wall and a dose of humiliation has been injected into the heart is invariably one of the lesser demands of a national coach in this part of the woods, but Andy Robinson is acutely aware that he faces that stiffer challenge this afternoon of creating winners from winners in Scotland's final EMC Autumn Test match of 2010.

"The nation last week moved up to sixth position in the IRB world rankings, but even if they win at Pittodrie this afternoon - the SRU is very confident the game will go ahead despite heavy snow in Aberdeen yesterday - they are likely to fall back to seventh at the close of the weekend. The points gap between them and Samoa in 11th is such that Robinson's side cannot improve on their tally today, whereas the winner of Ireland and Argentina in Dublin tomorrow will gain points and move back above Scotland.

"However, Robinson was quick to make clear yesterday just how much this game matters in terms of altering a common meandering path through the last decade of rugby history in Scotland. He and his fellow coaches and players are on the trail of consistency, the holy grail of Scottish rugby in its elusiveness."

November 22, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/22/2010

'Papa' McLaren inspired us to victory

Captain Rory Lawson and the Scottish team took inspiration for their shock 21-17 win over South Africa on Saturday from Scotland's most famous uncapped rugby figure, the skipper's late grandfather Bill McLaren. The Scotsman's David Ferguson writes.

"McLaren, the former Scotland trialist, journalist and "voice of rugby" commentator, died in January of this year and there was something fitting in the way his 29-year-old grandson was handed the captain's role in the last Murrayfield Test of 2010, recovering from injury and slipping back into the No 9 jersey with Mike Blair out with concussion, for Saturday's gritty triumph.

"McLaren did not have it easy, battling tuberculosis contracted during a horrendous wartime battle, just missing out on a Scotland cap and losing a daughter to cancer, but he became one of the most respected figures in world rugby. Lawson decided to add to his eve-of-match speech by handing out McLaren's legendary Hawick Ball sweets to team-mates.

"...It was a neat touch from a popular player who has worked incredibly hard for his place at the top table. He came to the pro game at 22, under-studied Blair at Edinburgh for three years with few opportunities to play and left for Gloucester on a relatively paltry salary, with the promise of it being enhanced if he could earn a first-team slot inside a year. He grasped that challenge and has become a central figure in Gloucester's improvement, and having missed the game with the All Blacks due to an injured hand - which was still painful on Saturday and strapped up afterwards - his leadership was a key plank of Saturday's win."

November 21, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/21/2010

Parks humbles Springboks

The Scotsman's Iain Morrison is left a little dumbfounded by Scotland's reversal in fortunes that saw a side thrashed by the All Blacks one week go and beat the Springboks the next.

"It seems vaguely appropriate that the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was produced by one of Edinburgh's favourite sons, for the same city witnessed a transformation every bit as astonishing as anything from the imagination of Robert Louis Stevenson.

"The woeful rabble of last weekend morphed into yesterday's giant killers who claimed the world champion Springboks' scalp for only the fifth time in history. What a pity that just 35,000 fans chose to brave the elements to witness this jaw dropping drama. Andy Robinson's record with Scotland against the big three from the Southern Hemisphere now reads played three, won two.

"Go figure!"

November 19, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/19/2010

Scottish roots remain key to proud Bok Lambie

The Scotsman's David Ferguson chats to South Africa's Patrick Lambie as he reacquaints himself with his Scottish heritage.

"Lambie, who can also play at centre and full-back, has been honing his skills under the watchful eyes of Springbok coaches, including the legendary Percy Montgomery and current fly-half Morne Steyn in Edinburgh this week and yesterday the 20-year-old met up again with Peter Brown, the former Scotland captain, whose grandmother was the sister of Lambie's great-grandmother, and Sanny's wife.

"But we need not dust down the archives to find the new Springbok's Scottish connections as his dad Ian was born to Scottish parents, Jack and Neeta Lambie, and spent his early childhood in Troon, something Patrick is well aware of.

"My dad (Ian) lived here for the first 12 years of his life and his parents were from Scotland," he said. "My dad was actually born in England, but he grew up here until he was 12. He has been in South Africa for 40 years so he is definitely South African now!

"When I got my British passport a couple of years ago that was when the family connections really came up. My dad was keen on my brother Nicholas and myself getting a British passport and I think it's a nice thing to have. My dad played a few games for Natal in the 1980s, as a wing/full-back, and my mum's dad Dr Nick Labuschagne played hooker for England and the Barbarians, so there is definitely rugby in the genes."

November 18, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/18/2010

Paterson keen to get rid of his ton weight

Scotland's Chris Paterson has revealed a desire to rid himself of the '100 cap wonder' label as quickly as possible, The Scotsman's Bill Lothian reports.

"The 32-year-old Edinburgh utility back returns to the squad against South Africa in Saturday's EMC Autumn Test at Murrayfield for the first time since becoming the first Scot to achieve the magical ton against Wales in February.

"Injury ruined that big day - Paterson split a kidney in a potentially career threatening knock - and that is why this call up after being left out of the 22 for last weekend's match against New Zealand is all the more special to him.

"To reach 100 caps was one of my main aims for so long. When there was an opportunity that was all I wanted, and the biggest goal of my life," said Paterson.

"Having been lucky enough to achieve it I now want rid of it as quickly as I can. I'm delighted to be in the match-day 22 and my role is as a replacement, hopefully I will get on."

November 14, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/14/2010

Progress shudders to a halt

The Scotsman's Tom English reports on Scotland crushing loss to the All Blacks at Murrayfield.

"Andy Robinson has brought Scotland blinking towards the light in his time in charge of Scotland, but the progress made was but a distant memory last night as the coach got enveloped by darkness in the wake of this tumultuous pummelling.

...Scotland needed to produce a miracle match to beat the All Blacks. A hundred years they've been at it and it still hasn't happened. No surprise, given the series of improbable events that need to occur for the run of failure to end. Scotland needed to be foot-perfect in every sense; monstrous in the tackle, clinical in the set-piece, quick and ruthless at the breakdown.

They needed to blast Richie McCaw to kingdom come and halt his offloading warriors at source.

After eight minutes we knew that the dream had become a delusion."

November 13, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/13/2010

Robinson has learned to smile again

After three straight wins, former England coach Andy Robinson is loving life north of the border – and Scotland enjoys having him around. The Guardian's Mike Averis reports.

"Not many Englishmen treat Murrayfield as their home from home but Andy Robinson was bouncing around its business suites and conference rooms this week like a man who owns the place.

A television interview here, radio over there, a few pictures for the sponsors and the local newspapers before he ran through his side to play the All Blacks tomorrow with a dozen rugby correspondents, beaming at their questions, playfully side-stepping anything too obviously barbed. Was he worried that … "No." Did he have any qualms about … "No."

It helps if you are basking in the glow of three straight wins and all away from home – rare indeed if you are the Scotland coach – but for anyone who remembers his final days looking after England it was hard not to make comparisons. The eyes are still hooded, but now they sit above a semi-permanent smile, even when the questioning comes from those based south of the border. A year on from his first game in charge of the full Scotland team and Robinson is clearly enjoying the experience. More importantly, Scotland clearly enjoys having him around."

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/13/2010

Radical thinking paying off for Scots

Scotland has a new weapon. It is a radio-controlled helicopter called Cyberhawk. The New Zealand Herald's Dylan Clever reports.

"It is usually used to assess damage on electricity pylons, but which Scotland's video analyst is instead using to get a new perspective on the game. When it hovers next to players during training, the coaches get to witness the game almost through their eyes.

It is a radical new training tool from a team that throughout history has relied on old-fashioned methods to try to beat the All Blacks: fire in the belly, a furiously energetic start, followed by kicking, chasing and harrying.

Guess what? In 27 tests over 105 years, those old-fashioned methods have never worked. Time to reinvent that particular wheel."

November 12, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 11/12/2010

Eminem and X-Box

Scotland wing Sean Lamont gets the Small Talk treatment in The Guardian.

"Tip-top Sean and thanks for asking. So then, the big one at Murrayfield is coming ... [Still cheery] It sure is ...

"Yep, Bon Jovi in the flesh: you must be very excited ... [Not cheery] Really? Actually I didn't know they were playing there.

"Now that you know, are you going to hurry out and nab some tickets? [Cheery again] Well obviously they've got some fantastic songs but I wouldn't say I'm a massive fan. So I'll have a look to see what else is on around that time before making up my mind. I guess some of the boys will go, but as for myself, it's unlikely.

"What sort of music do you listen to before heading into action? A bit of Eye of the Tiger perhaps? A mix really, it depends what I've got. Recently I've been listening to a bit of Eminem's new album and I love Muse – they'd be my go-to pre-match artists, as it were."

November 10, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/10/2010

Belief in ourselves is key to success

Scotland have a squad to face New Zealand as big, strong and quick as any that has taken to the field in recent years and, with the team now picked, instilling self-belief is the next priority for head coach Andy Robinson ahead of the autumn series. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Jim Telfer, the Scotland coach of the 1980s and 1990s, used to talk about the "top three inches", in reference to brain-power, and that is a big part of the challenge facing Scotland when they take on New Zealand on Saturday.

"Robinson is building on a rare Scotland achievement of three Test wins in a row, all away from home, against Ireland and Argentina (twice). It lifted the team to seventh in the world and is worthy of recognition, but this weekend opponents six places higher hove into view. The All Blacks are the only team the Scots have never beaten."

November 5, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/05/2010

Hall of Fame honours Scottish icons

A group of Scottish rugby heroes had their legendary status officially stamped at Murrayfield last night - and The Scotsman's David Ferguson was there too.

"Gavin Hastings was revealed as the winner of the public vote for the player of the 1990s, edging out his brother Scott, Grand Slam skipper David Sole, Alan Tait and scrum-halves Gary Armstrong and Bryan Redpath, while Finlay Calder, the British and Irish Lions captain of 1989 and a key member of the 1990 team was chosen as the player of the 'Eighties'.

The judging panel, chaired by John Jeffrey, and featuring his fellow former Scotland caps Sir Ian McGeechan, Norman Mair, Chris Rea and John Beattie, had stated in recent weeks that the task of choosing the first inductees had been a hugely difficult one, especially with a rule having been agreed that no-one currently playing or employed by the SRU could be yet honoured.

That ruled out a number of players in the 2000 'Noughties' decade, and so the judges opted to launch that particular era by recognising McGeechan due to the fact that he ended his involvement with Scottish rugby in 2005 and received his knighthood at the end of the decade."

November 3, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/03/2010

Scots roots of new South Africa sensation

When one of South Africa's hottest new talents Patrick Lambie takes his bow on his first UK tour, there will be many watching on from Scotland wondering "what if". The Scotsman's David Ferguson writes.

"Lambie is one of seven uncapped players in South Africa's 30-man squad, and there is a good chance he may feature in the Murrayfield international.

Former Scotland captain Peter "PC" Brown, who led Scotland to the only back-to-back wins over England inside eight days, in 1971, is one person hoping that is the case, as he is a relation.

"We are all very excited," he told The Scotsman. "Another branch of the family has come good! We are very pleased and proud to see another member of the family doing well in rugby. If only we had persuaded him to play for Scotland."

Lambie has two Scottish grandparents, a grandfather from England who also played for England, and a grandmother from South Africa. His Scottish great-grandmother Don Lambie (nee Bell) was Peter's grandmother's sister.

Patrick's great-grandfather Sammy Lambie was also pretty well known in Ayr as he owned a chip shop around the corner from Somerset Park."

October 16, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 10/16/2010

A wealth of quality for Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame

The task of picking Scotland's greatest rugby players was never going to prove a simple one, but John Jeffrey , the chairman of selectors for the new Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame, has found it both one of the most taxing and enjoyable challenges he has faced. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The SRU will announce the inaugural 12 entrants into this new Hall of Fame at a gala dinner at Murrayfield Stadium on 4 November. Jeffrey, along with a panel of Ian McGeechan, Norman Mair, Chris Rea and John Beattie, was handed the task of coming up with a player from eight different eras, and the door was left open for the panel to choose four other nominees who were not necessarily players but deserved recognition.

The Scotsman today looks back on the recent eras - the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s - and next weekend turn the spotlight on the legendary figures of the early part of Scottish rugby history, We finish up with a third part in our exclusive Hall of Fame series that focuses on the potential candidates for special recognition, without yet revealing those to be honoured in the first year.

Jeffrey told us: "One thing that can be guaranteed is that there was plenty of choice, from eras when perhaps Scotland weren't as successful as others but we had very good players just as much as there was in times like the Grand Slam periods when the players became household names. It was very hard, no doubt, but I also found it very enjoyable, and enlightening when you got to study players from the wartime and early part of the century. Hopefully, it will prove to be a great launch next month and bring the spotlight back on to many players and other figures in our game that we should be very proud of."

October 9, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 10/09/2010

Old enough and wise enough

The Scotsman's David Ferguson talks to Edinburgh and Scotland's Scott MacLeod about his career and remaining ambitions.

"Andy Warhol's forecast that everyone would have their 15 minutes of fame resonates horribly in these Simon Cowell times of instant 'celebrity' entertainment, but one tends to imagine that in sport 15 minutes is nowhere near enough to earn recognition.

"Careers are built on consistency, but, in fact, star status can come from periods of time much, much shorter. Scotland's leading rugby players are entering the Heineken Cup this weekend determined to help Edinburgh and Glasgow make their mark, but knowing that, with more eyes watching than at any other time, the next two weeks could have a major influence on their future in the game, and the prospect of fame.

"Scott MacLeod is the only Scot involved with either team to know what it feels like to reach as far as the semi-finals of the northern hemisphere's leading tournament and rugby's top club event in the world. And his confidence and whole reason for being has been lifted hugely by a 15-minute appearance that passed many by."

October 7, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 10/07/2010

Stortoni glad to pass on skills

The Scotsman's David Ferguson talks to Glasgow fullback Bernardo Stortoni and learns that Scotland are tapping into his skill base.

"He is technically a 'Puma' not a salmon, but watching Glasgow's full-back Bernardo Stortoni leaping through the air to claim a high ball is the closest some might find to such natural beauty in rugby.

"Yet, in insisting that it was not through mere courage nor natural ability, the popular Argentine internationalist this week spoke enthusiastically about how he was trying to educate the next generation of Scots on the importance of mastering such skills.

"Stortoni is recognised by leading coaches across the world as one of the foremost catchers of a rugby ball and while Glasgow supporters are treated to his ability on a regular basis the Scotland coaching team have taken him on board to help spread the word of how he achieves such consistency across the country."

October 2, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 10/02/2010

A game for players of all shapes and sizes

In an era when size matters so much, The Scotsman's Allan Massie reports that we are craving more skill.

"a game for players of all shapes and sizes. This has always been the boast. Some 40 years ago there was a Springbok scrum-half who didn't quite measure 5 foot even in long-studded boots. Recently fears have been expressed that this was no longer true, and that rugby was moving towards a situation where almost everyone was more than 6 foot high and weighted at least 15st.

"Happily this hasn't quite proved to be the case. There is still room, even at the highest level, for lightly-built players like Chris Paterson and others, like Glasgow's admirable Colin Gregor, who are anything but mastadons. Nor have portly props quite disappeared, even if beer bellies, at least at the top level, are a rarer sight than they used to be."

September 15, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 09/15/2010

Glass ceiling challenge for Scotland at World Cup

Scotland will make history in the World Cup next year irrespective of results when they help to launch a new 'greenhouse' stadium. The Scotsman's David Ferguson writes.

"Andy Robinson's squad will begin the 2011 tournament in New Zealand against either Romania or Uruguay - who play off for the final tournament spot in November - in the southern-most point of Invercargill, on Friday 10 September. However, when they pitch up in Dunedin to face Georgia, now coached by former Scotland coach Richie Dixon, on Wednesday 14 September the two nations will become the first to play an international rugby match in a fully enclosed stadium.

"Many teams have played in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium with its retractable roof closed, including Scotland, but the Otago venue being built to replace Dunedin's famous Carisbrook ground will have a clear roof with new technology that lets sunlight in but cannot be opened."

August 22, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 08/22/2010

Running out of puff

Iain Morrison predicts a difficult season for Glasgow Warriors in The Scotsman.

”The members of the press were given a guided tour of the Glasgow Warriors' swanky new training facilities last week. Sean Lineen's team are the principal tenants at Scotstoun Stadium, a venue for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where they have access to a high-tech weights room, an indoor running track, an artificial 3G pitch outdoors and another covered with the more traditional grass.

“It's an impressive place and the only hiccup on the day was an aging runner doing agonisingly slow laps of the brand new track and gasping as though his next step would be his last. Any allusions to the Warriors running out of puff may be all too appropriate.

“Last season was a good one. Glasgow reached the Magners League's inaugural play-offs and had the Celtic League disciplinary board boasted a backbone they would have had home advantage into the bargain. Instead the league officials docked points from the Ospreys this coming season for a misdemeanour committed last March.”

August 20, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 08/20/2010

New league set-up breath of fresh air

There have been mixed reactions to the SRU's agreement to pursue a new league split for the next two seasons, the The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Currie's Ally Donaldson admitted this week that he would like to see it go further into end-of-season play-offs among the top four, like virtually every major rugby competition nationwide, and he has strong backing from coaches across Premier One. But where in the past decisions over changes to the season or league structures were invariably debated and decided upon by club administrators, the significant difference this time around is that the change has come from the coaching brains.

"Some club administrators have proven themselves great revolutionaries and forward-thinkers, but too many others found it easier to stifle progress because it did not suit their club at that time. Hence, the great impasse in trying to move club rugby in Scotland forward."

August 17, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 08/17/2010

Clubs take their pick of Scotland's best talents

The professional players clubs have chosen to augment their squads this season were revealed by the SRU yesterday and again the 'draft' has shown coaches to be shrewd in their estimation of which leading lights might be available, The Scotsman's David Ferguson writes.

"Melrose coach Craig Chalmers has signed up two of Edinburgh's stand-offs, Phil Godman and Alex Blair, the former Edinburgh Accies youngster who has joined Edinburgh full-time and who worked under Chalmers with the Scotland under-20s last season. The Greenyards coach is hopeful that Blair may be available this term as he vies with Godman, his brother David and fellow teenager Gregor Hunter for the Edinburgh No10 jersey, and that he can continue to develop the young talent.

"There was a mix among clubs keen to draft 'their own' players such as Selkirk in snapping up Lee Jones and Watsonians taking Stuart McInally, and simply studying who they believed would be available, hence Stirling County claiming Melrose's new Edinburgh centre James King and Heriot's drafting former West of Scotland lock Rob Harley. Coaches also looked at the opportunity to have leading lights such as Chris Paterson (Hawick) and Alex Grove and Netani Talei (both Selkirk) perhaps unavailable to play but available for some coaching or club ambassadorial work."

August 14, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 08/14/2010

The man who flattened Buck

Stuart Bathgate chats to new Edinburgh chief Craig Docherty - the man who flattened Buck Shelford - in The Scotsman.

”There have been times in the recent past when senior figures in Scottish rugby have been charged with being too deferential towards anything and anyone emanating from New Zealand. Such an accusation, however, could hardly be levelled at new Edinburgh Rugby chief executive Craig Docherty.

“Indeed, it might even be suggested that, when Scotland's Autumn Test against the All Blacks comes around, our players could learn a lot from the healthy disrespect shown by Docherty when he came face to face with the Kiwis some years ago. A chartered accountant, he was living and working in Hong Kong, and won selection for the national team at both seven-a-side and 15s. Playing in the Hong Kong Sevens against a New Zealand team which included such stars as Wayne 'Buck' Shelford and Zinzan Brooke, Docherty knew his own side were outclassed, but gamely kept competing until the end.

“Too gamely, says the version of the tale which has gained acceptance in some of the capital's clubhouses. According to that, Docherty simply barged into Shelford after the latter had scored a try.”

August 3, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 08/03/2010

Welcome back

David Ferguson is pleased to see the return of Chris Paterson to the Scotland squad and also a trimming down with the World Cup in mind in The Scotsman.

"This time 12 months ago Andy Robinson was naming his first training squad since being appointed to take over from Frank Hadden, bringing together his first management team and laying down the more abstract principles and beliefs on how he wanted to shape the international squad.

"He will return to the training base of St Andrews next week with players heading there from various parts of Scotland and flying in from other parts of the UK, Ireland and France with a new cushion of comfort from the first year of his charge beneath them. Autumn victories over Fiji and Australia and a historic run of three consecutive wins away from home, in Ireland and Argentina, book-ended a period of ten matches in which Robinson's team began to spark promise in a new era."

August 1, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 08/01/2010

Starting at the top

David Ferguson talks to Glasgow chief executive Kenny Baillie about life at the sharp end in rugby in The Scotsman.

"If it were Manchester United or even Rangers, there might be some merit, but when it is a rugby team competing as the under-funded minnows of a league now involving three richer rugby nations, folly would seem an under-statement.

"Throw in the fact that this 34-year-old Glaswegian walked away from a lucrative career in software production, a rare business that continues to toss about annual salaries well into six figures like confetti, and which for Baillie involved office stops across America, Hong Kong and the middle east, the move shifts into the incredulous.

"But Baillie could not appear happier, making himself at home in Glasgow Warriors' new Scotstoun base out in the leafy west end. But why? The simple explanation is that Baillie never lost his passion for rugby and it finally reeled him back in; an ambition seared within him to see his native city being lauded as a rugby giant being ignited again."

July 27, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 07/27/2010

Beattie may face six months on sidelines

Glasgow are paying a heavy price for success after confirming Scotland No.8 Johnnie Beattie will be out for up to six months due to a shoulder injury. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Beattie was one of a large number of Glasgow players who pushed their way into Andy Robinson's international plans last season, a reflection of a Warriors improvement that also took the team into the inaugural Magners League play-offs. The cost, however, has been that a host of Sean Lineen's players have struggled to recover from the toll exacted on their bodies through a season that began last June and ended with an intense RBS Six Nations Championship, league run-in and June tour schedule.

"Beattie has been battling a shoulder problem for some time and it has been decided that he must now undergo an operation to give him a chance of being fully fit for next year's World Cup in New Zealand. While he remains hopeful of being back in full training before the autumn Tests, he has been told his recovery period could be as long as six months.

"Beattie is almost certain to miss the November Tests with New Zealand, South Africa and Samoa and will face a race to regain his match fitness and form for the 2011 Six Nations."

July 25, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 07/25/2010

Scotland's all-time greatest XV?

Few things are guaranteed to get a barstool ruckus up and running quicker than selecting your all-time greatest team, but that does not deter The Scotsman's Richard Bath.

"The Scottish Rugby Union's recent decision to launch a Hall of Fame has been framed in a less straightforward fashion than simply choosing the Greatest Scotland XV Of All Time, but we at Scotland on Sunday are simple souls, so we've distilled the debate down to selecting our favourite 15 players to have pulled on the thistle since 1871.

"A couple of years ago I wrote a small book called the Scotland Rugby Miscellany, which involved scouring history books and talking to anyone with a long-term perspective on Scottish rugby, the older the better.

"The sheer breadth of characters and achievements was absolutely remarkable, which is perhaps why there was virtually no unanimity. However, I eventually boiled the list down to 15 legends, with the proviso that current players are ineligible."

July 22, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 07/22/2010

Scots moving forward

Stuart Bathgate talks to former Scotland fullback Gavin Hastings about the steps forward taken this summer in Argentina in The Scotsman.

""For them to follow up a great opening Test victory with another shows that they have mentally crossed that divide. I think that this was a very, very significant step forward.

"I sent a text straight away to Scotland coach Andy Robinson, saying much the same thing. I've seen him since then and reiterated that. I think it's great and I think the guys will take a huge amount of confidence on the back of that."

"Scotland won last month's first Test 24-16, then followed it up a week later with a 13-9 win to record their first ever series victory in the Southern Hemisphere. That compared with back-to-back matches in the Autumn Tests at Murrayfield last year, when Robinson's team claimed a historic win over Australia, but then lost to the Pumas a week later."

July 18, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 07/18/2010

Future of Murrayfield museum in doubt

The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports on fears that the Murrayfield museum may never see the light of day again.

"A long-running campaign to restore Murrayfield's rugby museum has prompted the SRU to begin work this month on erecting new glass cases to show more of the stunning array of memorabilia and artifacts languishing in a store room.

"A permanent site for a new museum is still to be found, however, and a leading campaigner for its restoration fears he may not be around to see it re-open. George Russell, a volunteer at the stadium's popular old library and a former steward at the royal box, became quite emotional at the SRU annual general meeting last month as he recollected how he had assured now-deceased colleagues that he would continue to push the union for a museum.

"I don't have much time left but I will keep fighting," he told The Scotsman. "A museum encourages youngsters and attracts people to the sport. It also provides a history lesson that educates people in what Scottish rugby has contributed, and who has contributed which I think is a valuable part of our game."

July 3, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 07/03/2010

I wanna be on TV

The Calcutta Cup remains a major draw © Getty Images

David Ferguson looks at the importance of TV rights to Scottish rugby in The Scotsman.

"Talks between the SRU and the BBC in London over a rights fee to screen Scotland's games with New Zealand, South Africa and Samoa and cover the Melrose Sevens next April are ongoing, with both sides keen to thrash out a deal this month and avoid a switch to satellite, cable or internet broadcasters. However, while BBC Scotland is exploring a Magners League highlights package on its website, rugby supporters in Scotland will need BBC Wales, S4C, the Welsh language channel, and BBC Alba to see Glasgow and Edinburgh live, despite increased pressure from the Scottish Parliament this week, and can forget about club rugby returning any time soon.

"The audience figures show starkly the value of the RBS Six Nations Championship, and Calcutta Cup match in particular, to Scotland's oxygen of TV publicity. A total of 650,000 people tuned in for the Scotland-England clash this year, which equated to 37 per cent of the total BBC Scotland audience at that time. The game also captured 5.4m of the UK audience (29 percent).

"Scotland's opening match with France and the triumphant finale with Ireland drew an audience figure of 460,000, 31 per cent of the BBC Scotland viewers, dropping by 15,000 for the match with Wales and to 390,000 for Italy v Scotland. These games also attract a significant share of the UK audience, underlining why the BBC in London pays to have the entire tournament on its channel. But, outside of those seven weeks, Scotland's attraction dips locally and across the UK and, now that the SRU are no longer part of a combined rights deal with Wales and Ireland, Gordon McKie's board face a mammoth effort to compete for air-time."

July 1, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 07/01/2010

Evans to retire from rugby

Scotland's Thom Evans receives treatment during the clash with Wales earlier this year © Getty Images

Scotland win Thom Evans has been forced to retire from rugby after accepting medical advice that he could never rediscover the feats that made him an international star. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The 25-year-old winger seriously damaged two vertebrae in an awkward collision with Lee Byrne in the international between Wales and Scotland at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. He was stretchered off the field in a neck brace and as the severity of his condition emerged it was reported that the on-field care by physios and Dr James Robson, the experienced Scottish medic, had played a significant role in ensuring he did not suffer permanent paralysis.

"Evans underwent an operation within hours of the game and was given the option of further surgery to stabilise his spine later in the week, but aware that this would severely limit his chances of returning to the athletic fitness and movement necessary to play again at the top level of international sport.

"In the four months since the operations, he has impressed family, friends and teammates with his desire and commitment to return to full health and while he still cannot sprint at the speeds with which he once shredded Test defences he has been walking and jogging for some time."

June 29, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 06/29/2010

Men against boys cannot go on

Scottish Rugby chief executive Gordon McKie has set his sights on improving the prospect of the next generation of playing after another disappointing return at the IRB Junior World Championships. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Just a year after he took over as chief executive, McKie condemned the previous SRU regime after ill-prepared youngsters suffered a humiliating 78-3 loss to Australia in the 2006 Junior World Championships. Supported by then president Andy Irvine, he insisted they would change the structure to ensure that was not experienced again.

"Two years later, another Scotland under-20 side woefully out of its depth conceded 72 points in defeat to South Africa and in Argentina this year the luckless young Scots of 2010 lost 73-0 to the baby Boks, 58-3 to Australia and 53-23 to Ireland, finishing 10th and just avoiding a drop into the second-tier tournament. This underlined how little has changed in four years.

"McKie is not prepared to apologise for so lambasting his predecessors, but he acknowledged that his hopes for a quick turnaround were perhaps misplaced."

June 28, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 06/28/2010

Loss of sponsors casts dark cloud over Murrayfield

The Scottish Rugby Union's 2010 annual general meeting proved to be a largely positive affair on Saturday, but a desire for change and the loss of another leading sponsor kept club members' feet firmly on the ground. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The union revealed publicly for the first time that Scottish Hydro have walked away from their sponsorship of the club game in Scotland, ending a three-year association and adding their name to a list of backers that Gordon McKie, the SRU chief executive, and his team have been unable to hold on to over the past five years.

"McKie spoke of his enthusiasm at posting a near-£600,000 surplus and the achievement in reaching a target of 38,500 players two years ahead of schedule. However, he acknowledged that the struggle to attract a broadcaster for Scotland's autumn Test matches and loss of title sponsors had brought a black cloud to the horizon. Budget expectations for next year have, consequently, been lowered."

June 26, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 06/26/2010

Plans to overhaul league system

A desire to reconstruct Scotland's "dysfunctional relic" of a league system will be the first talking point of today's Scottish Rugby Union annual general meeting at Murrayfield. David Ferguson reports for The Scotsman.

"With clubs in Scotland having handed over greater powers to an executive body in 2005, under a new system of twin-track governance, the agm may no longer carry the same weight as it once did, but still it represents the one meeting of the year in which clubs can come together and make obvious the weight of their support for the SRU and its direction, or not.

"The arrival last year of Graham Lowe, pictured, as the union's first director of 'performance' rugby has further helped efforts to create a greater harmony between the administration and its member clubs, and lessen the likelihood of an attack at the agm. But, much as the SRU might have liked to, it has not wiped it out."

June 24, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 06/24/2010

McKie attacks BBC's 'derisory' rights bid

The Scottish Rugby Union has highlighted a reluctance by the BBC to match its previous rights fee for this year's autumn Test matches and warned of a TV blackout just days after Scotland secured their first-ever Test series victory in Argentina. David Ferguson reports in The Scotsman.

"On the day Andy Robinson's squad flew back into Edinburgh from their two-Test success, Gordon McKie, the SRU chief executive, delivered his latest 'state of the union' briefing to journalists, and attacked the BBC's offer to renew the contract to screen November internationals as derisory. The SRU has written to the BBC Trust to outline its frustration with how the BBC in London continues to increase its investment in Welsh rugby, but drop its interest in the Scottish game, and also revealed that the Scottish Parliament will highlight the issue next week.

"Sarah Boyack MSP has tabled a motion titled 'Broadcasting black hole for Scottish rugby' which has the widespread cross-party backing, including that of former sports ministers Stewart Maxwell, Frank McAveety, Andy Kerr and Rhona Brankin. The motion states "that the Parliament ... is disappointed that terrestrial broadcasters do not cover a broader range of rugby matches and tournaments at all playing levels; believes that more investment in the coverage of Scottish rugby is essential in order to promote sport in general to a wider audience, thereby increasing participation and health levels and to showcase the successes of Scotland's rugby teams; notes the substantial contribution that rugby matches bring to the local Edinburgh economy, and would welcome efforts to ensure increased broadcast coverage of rugby in Scotland."

June 22, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 06/22/2010

It only gets harder from here

Job well done - Scotland coach Andy Robinson and captain Alastair Kellock celebrate their recent series victory over Argentina © PA

Andy Robinson's first year in charge of Scotland brought five wins - including the two recent successes in Argentina - and five losses but where will his side go from here? The Scotsman's Iain Morrison asks that very question.

"Robinson has done a great job with the national squad over the past 12 months but he has not changed the fundamental nature of this team. Instead he has done running repairs, tightened the nuts and bolts rather than replaced the entire engine, made them cussed and difficult to beat. He has brought in Al Kellock who has given the side an aerial presence they previously lacked and he has been helped by Dan Parks' Lazarus-like renaissance which has been instrumental in Scotland's recent success.

"...Robinson muttered about opportunities for younger playmakers to shine but in all honesty if the Aussie [Dan Parks] retired tomorrow Scotland would be scuppered. Phil Godman came to Argentina and sat on the subs bench for 160 minutes."

June 20, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 06/20/2010

Heroic Scots pass test in Argentina

Scotland produced an ebullient defensive display to secure a series victory over Argentina in Mar del Plata, The Scotsman's Iain Morrison reports from the scene of their famous triumph.

"This squad of players will go down in history as the first to return home to Scotland after winning a Test series in the southern hemisphere, or anywhere else for that matter. What's more they thoroughly deserved yesterday's win in Mar del Plata that backed up last weekend's heroics in Tucuman,

"At the end of the match, Andy Robinson was left standing on his own on the pitchside, ignoring the downpour with his phone stuck to his ear, passing the good news on to his family back home. If he wasn't singing, the Scotland coach was at least smiling in the rain."

June 18, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 06/18/2010

Robinson gambles on Evans

Scotland will hope to bury Argentina's hopes of a revival on Saturday with another display of disciplined and controlled rugby, so writes The Scotsman's Iain Morrison.

"The team are staying in a brand new hotel set a little way back from the beach and overlooking it if you have a front of house view – those at the back of the hotel look out over a graveyard full of ornate mausoleums. Scotland will hope to bury Argentina's hopes of a revival on Saturday with another display of disciplined and controlled rugby and, if it's not being greedy to ask, just a hint of flair and panache into the bargain.

"To that end Andy Robinson has moved Max Evans from wing to outside centre and restored the Glasgow midfield trio in the process. The coach claimed that it was no more than a coincidence but, if the comment can be taken at face value, then at least it's a happy one.

"The older of the Evans brothers is a Lilliput in a land of Gullivers, a relative shorty in amongst the giants of the Scottish back line. Scotland boast two strong-running wingers in the substantial forms of Simon Danielli and Sean Lamont, while inside centre Graeme Morrison is obviously made from the same mould, but Evans brings something different to the Scottish backs. He boasts most of his brother's straight line speed and he adds a very handy side step of his own devising. Since Argentina are not noted for falling off tackles it makes some sense to run around rather than through them, and Evans is better equipped than most to do just that."

June 13, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 06/13/2010

Ruthless Robinson hunts down Pumas in style

Scotland's victory over Argentina in Tucuman was one of the most impressive performances of recent years according to The Scotsman's Richard Bath.

"In little over a year, these two sides are going to be meeting on the other side of the world in a one-off World Cup pool match which gives real context to this two-Test series in Argentina. When it comes to winning, Scotland coach Andy Robinson is a single issue obsessive, and yesterday in one of the most impressive performances of recent years by a Scotland side, he surely learnt the secret of how to kill off that most tenacious of all animals, the Pumas.

"Strangely, very little of what he would have gleaned from yesterday's game concerned the Pumas. Their brand of unchanging Route One rugby based around their big men bish-bash-boshing their way up the middle of the park was exactly the same cussed and outrageously physical style of play that saw them outmuscle Scotland 9-6 at Murrayfield in the autumn

"No, what Robinson learnt yesterday was that his own side has the capacity to be far more than an outfit built around the set-piece in general and the lineout in particular, that they can put sides to the sword rather than rely on winning enough penalties to let Chris Paterson's boot doing their talking. Throwing the ball to the wings, Scotland looked like a side which has the ability – and, more importantly, the appetite – to play the sort of wide game that will bring the tries that consistently win games."

June 12, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 06/12/2010

Scotland steeled for testing time

Writing in The Scotsman, Iain Morrison previews Scotland's testing clash against Argentina in Tucuman.

"The eyes of the wider sporting world may be focused on South Africa rather than South America but this afternoon's match in Tucuman is still a sell-out with 35,000 Puma fans expected to uphold the stadium's well-earned reputation as one of the most hostile environments in which to play test match rugby.

"Surprisingly it's the first international match held in Tucuman since 2004 and the locals aren't going to let an opportunity to celebrate their other national sport go to waste.

"Andy Robinson was sporting a wide grin on his face at yesterday's press conference. The anticipation of an upcoming international seems to add a little lustre to the Englishman who had a "Readybrek" glow about him. The coach quickly acknowledged the size of the task looming ahead."

June 10, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 06/10/2010

The magic number

Scotland need to hit the ground running this weekend © Getty Images

Scotland attack coach Gregor Townsend talks to The Scotsman's Iain Morrison about their need to score 20 points or more against the Pumas this weekend.

"If Scotland are to have any chance of winning the first Test in Tucuman on Saturday they will need to score a minimum of 20 points. At least that is the belief of Gregor Townsend and the Scotland attack coach is paid to know these sorts of things.

"If the figure seems a little arbitrary, and it almost certainly is, on closer inspection it just about fits the bill. Two years ago Scotland scored 15 points in Rosario and lost the opening Test. One week later they scored 26 points in Buenos Aires and levelled the series. It's no magic number but 20 points is a handy enough target and it is a lot easier to reach with a try or two nudging the score board along. Unfortunately tries are proving desperately difficult to come by right now.

"While Townsend was one of the most gloriously unpredictable players of his generation the back line he coaches is a little pedestrian, managing just two touchdowns in the last eight Test matches. Townsend admitted that the number of tries scored by the piano shifters, as opposed to the piano players, has become a talking point."

June 7, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 06/07/2010

No good at it

Paul Ackford believes that a northern hemisphere side must win on tour this summer to keep alive any semblance of pride in The Daily Telegraph.

"Since that visit, which encouraged the self-belief which led to global dominance two months later, England’s record has been execrable: a 51-15 defeat in Brisbane in 2004, followed by two Tests in 2006 which England lost 34-3 in Sydney and 43-18 in Melbourne.

"Yet, incredibly, England are the success story here. Wales have never won a Test match in New Zealand, Ireland have never beaten the All Blacks and last triumphed in Australia way back in 1979, and Scotland’s record against Argentina stands at two victories from 10 outings.

"That’s the reality right there. For all the smug self-congratulation at the commercial success of the Six Nations championship, for all the inflated salaries which the top players earn in this part of the world, when it comes to winning Test matches on the other side of the planet, we’re no bloody good."

Posted by Huw Baines on 06/07/2010

Low going after Pumas

As preparations for this weekend's Test intensify, Scotland prop Moray Low talks to The Times' Lewis Stuart about attacking their scrum.

"After a weekend to recover from the 16-hour journey to South America, Scotland are planning a brutal training session in Buenos Aires today as preparations for the opening international with Argentina enter their final phase.

"A key part of the plan, it seems, is to attack the home side in one of their areas of greatest strength — the scrum. It was a tactic that should have worked last November when Scotland dominated the Pumas for long periods, only to be foiled and frustrated by their defence.

"Central to it all was Moray Low, the tighthead prop, making only his third start for Scotland. He is desperate to prove that it was no fluke and that the team can go one better against a stronger Argentina side on their own patch."

June 6, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 06/06/2010

All in the mind

Sports psychologist Dr Richard Cox hopes to have Scotland mentally ready for next year’s World Cup, in the Scottish Herald.

“Every day we’re learning more and more about how the brain works and what a wonderful computer it is,” he said. “The most recent developments are in that line, in what we call psychobiology. But it could be another 200 years before science finally defines what makes man tick.

“Among other things I talk to the squad as a whole. I’ve done workshops on thinking, and why people think in certain ways. We talk about task-
relevant thinking, which is simply about keeping your mind on the job.

“In rugby, you can be hit hard or struggling for air in the last 20 minutes, or both. It can be very hard to concentrate on the task, and you concentrate on yourself instead. What I do is try to develop players who can offset that. Once you raise their awareness of what will happen under normal circumstances you create an opportunity for them to interfere with that sequence of events.”

June 5, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 06/05/2010

Finishing the key

Scotland coach Andy Robinson has urged his players not to waste their chances in the two-Test series as the team left for Argentina in The Scotsman.

"In any game of rugby that is what you have to do, and we didn't do it in that last game against Argentina. We can look at three or four of the games when that hasn't happened. That's one of the areas of the game we need to improve on, our ability to finish. "It's okay doing all the good build-up work but we have got to get across the line and score tries. We always have to have a real collective edge about the way we defend. Coming together for the Japan game enabled us to get that. There is always a way that we have to improve every facet of our game.

"There has been a belief about the way the team has played through the autumn and the Six Nations. Again it was looking at ourselves, the accuracy of our handling, our inability to finish and some of the dull penalties we gave away.

"They are all facets you have in a very physical game, so it's important we are able to stay in control of the game in the way that we don't give dull penalties away, and also our execution – having good hands and being able to keep hold of the ball."

May 29, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 05/29/2010

SRU is wise to steer clear of southern giants

The Scottish Rugby Union's decision to opt out of the proposed ambitious schedule seems defensible according to The Scotsman's Allan Massie.

"Imagine," one contributor to our website wrote, "the outcry if, say, Wales announced it didn't want to tour New Zealand but instead wanted to play the likes of Canada, the US or Portugal."

"...The last time the All Blacks came here, they fielded a below-strength side at Murrayfield and still won quite comfortably. Away from home, we came very close to beating South Africa in the first of two Tests in the summer of 2003, but this was unusual.

"Our away record in the Six Nations is not much better. We haven't won in Paris since 1999 or at Twickenham since 1983. Our victory in Dublin in March was our first there this century. We should have won in Cardiff and Rome this year, but lost both games. So we have had one win in Cardiff and two in Rome since we were the last Five Nations champions in 1999.

"...None of this indicates that we are in "disastrous decline", but it does suggest we are at best treading water. Nobody can sensibly suppose that a three-Test series in New Zealand, South Africa or Australia wouldn't result in at least two heavy, and probably demoralising, defeats. I think that is likely to be the fate suffered by Wales and Ireland, who have agreed to this schedule, but that is their business."

May 27, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 05/27/2010

Scotland's best chance of success

Scotland coach Andy Robinson believes a lighter summer role gives his side the best chance of success, according to David Barnes in The Scotsman.

"Scotland have effectively been relegated to the status of the warm-up act to their better resourced European rivals, but Robinson says that it is important for him and his players to pick their battles wisely.

"Scotland have by far the smallest player pool of the traditional "big eight" countries, and any attempt to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in three consecutive Test matches could have a negative effect on Robinson's efforts to build a team capable of being genuine contenders for Six Nations glory.

"Scotland have never played a three match tour (against a major nation] in the southern hemisphere," he pointed out. "At this stage of the season you can lose the likes of Euan Murray. A lot of guys have had a hard season and need a rest or to tidy up injuries. We're lucky this year that we don't have so many guys that come into that category, but that is not always going to be the case.

"In terms of the whole structure of the summer, I am really keen for the players to not only experience top tier Test matches, but also experience playing Test matches in Japan, and in America, with our best side available to us – because that can help us grow as a team and develop a winning habit as well."

May 16, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 05/16/2010

The most important job in Scottish rugby?

The Scotsman's Iain Morrison talks to Scottish Rugby's new performance director Graham Lowe.

"He's been kept hidden away from view for so long that you can't help wondering if Graham Lowe, the SRU's new director of performance rugby, might walk into the Murrayfield interview room with two heads sticking out of his shoulders. Thankfully not. In fact he looks a perfectly ordinary guy although he may just have the most important job in Scottish rugby.

"Born in Auckland, Lowe started his professional career as a strength and conditioning coach with the Otago age-group sides in Dunedin and so it is little surprise that he and his family have quickly settled in Edinburgh, the city that supplied Dunedin with its name and much else besides. "The nature and culture is quite similar between Scotland and New Zealand," he says. "We love Edinburgh, there is an easy connection with the Scottish people."

"He might not thank you for repeating it but Lowe is best known for his close association with the abject failure of the All Blacks at the last World Cup. He was the man behind the team's conditioning experiment, the withdrawal of 22 key players from the early months of the Super 14, a policy that took most of the flak after New Zealand suffered their worst showing, exiting at the quarter-final stage. Since Graham Henry et al refused to budge, Lowe was the most senior member to leave the All Blacks management group and fingers have been pointing his way ever since, so he wastes no time in clarifying a few points."

May 12, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 05/12/2010

Brown in search of the perfect send-off

Glasgow's emergence among the leading lights of Celtic rugby will be assured this week when they fly the Scottish flag in the Magners League semi-finals, but a key group of players preparing to leave Scotland are determined Friday's match at the Ospreys does not mark the end of their Glasgow careers. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"There was a lot of emotion swirling around Firhill when Glasgow defeated Leinster three weeks ago to ensure their place in the inaugural play-offs, Dan Parks, Kelly Brown, Mark McMillan, Dan Turner, Tim Barker and others taking the ovation of the appreciative Glasgow crowd knowing it could be their last time playing there.

"Five minutes from the end of Edinburgh's match with Leinster on Sunday night, Glasgow seemed to be heading back to Firhill and a home semi-final, but two dramatic Leinster tries later and the league's top four was shaken again and the Irishmen finished with a home semi-final against Munster and Sean Lineen's side were handed the road map to Swansea.

"Now the team is in the knock-out stage; defeat ends the season and victory takes Glasgow on to a 'Grand Final' against the winners of the all-Irish affair. If Leinster win, the final will be in Dublin, but if Munster and Glasgow emerge victorious Lineen's side will host the final in Scotland."

May 4, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 05/04/2010

Harmony will be key to reign of Ian McLauchlan

Writing in The Scotsman, Richard bath reflects on the election of former Scotland and Lions international Ian McLauchlan to the post of Scottish Rugby Union president.

"Election fever may be sweeping the nation, but one part of the community remains happily immune.

"There was a time when this democratic ferment had its equivalent in Scottish rugby; when the shape of the game was the subject of heated argument, and renowned former players went head to head in the quest for high office. Not any more.

"This year, Ian McLauchlan, the former national captain, has been nominated unopposed for the presidency of the Scottish Rugby Union. While some critics might equate that lack of opposition with a lack of interest, others, including McLauchlan himself, think it is indicative of a greater harmony which now prevails within the game."

May 1, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 05/01/2010

Cheating is nothing new

Writing in The Scotsman, Allan Massie addresses the issues of cheating in the modern game.

"It's not a word most of us like to use – particularly where our own team is concerned. Pushing the laws to the limit or even bending the law are more acceptable terms. Often indeed this is fair enough. We don't, I suppose, think of the flanker who flirts, or does more than flirt, with the offside line as a cheat, and not only because this has always happened and some of our favourite players – John Jeffrey and Finlay Calder, for example – have been masters of this practice. I'm not sure if we even think of the scrum-half who doesn't put the ball into the scrum straight as a cheat – if only because there isn't a single scrum-half who regularly abides by the law.

April 29, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 04/29/2010

The road to recovery

Scotland wing Thom Evans is on the road to recovery © Getty Images

David Ferguson looks at the pitfalls of returning from a serious injury in the wake of Thom Evans' recovery in The Scotsman.

"His injury and that suffered by Barry Stewart, the former Scotland prop, were quite different. That has to be made clear and Stewart is not of a mind to offer advice to a fellow injured pro, but Stewart's story provides an illustration of the difficulties in coming back and also a sense of hope for players who do suffer serious injury and face the reality of a life without the sport they crave.

"Stewart is now 34 and works in his native Edinburgh as a trainee investment manager with Brewin Dolphin, the company that sponsors the Scottish Schools Cup competitions and the capital's touch rugby leagues. Nearly a decade ago, just four caps and four years into life as a professional he suffered a spinal injury that forced the SRU to call time on his career.

"But the words of a neurosurgeon at the time, who insisted the injury did not make Stewart any more or less likely to suffer a serious accident on the field of play than any team-mate, persuaded him that the union was wrong; that he could play on. He left Scotland, paid for his own insurance initially, and enjoyed a further seven years as a professional prop in the Guinness Premiership and Europe with Sale Sharks and Northampton."

April 22, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/22/2010

Chastened Chalmers sees final as chance to lift gloom

After a humiliating couple of weeks on and off the pitch, Craig Chalmers has to live with personal regrets as he prepares to return to centre stage by leading Melrose to Murrayfield on Saturday for the Scottish Hydro Cup final. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"It is a chance to make headlines for the right reasons: his side will become the first in Scottish rugby history to feature in three successive cup finals and have the opportunity to become only the third club in cup history, following Glasgow Hawks and Boroughmuir, to win the trophy three times.

They face up to final newcomers Ayr, who Chalmers rates as favourites by dint of them still being in the hunt for a rare league and cup double, but though confident, the chastened coach is clearly just pleased to have the opportunity to help play a part in atoning for an outburst which saw him arrested, detained overnight and fined £60 after he was refused entry to a Melrose Sevens party by door stewards. He has admitted that the past fortnight have been a couple of the toughest weeks of his life.

He told The Scotsman: "The position I put myself in two weeks ago was unforgivable and I hugely regret the embarrassment I've caused to my family, the club, Melrose supporters and the SRU. I have important roles as a husband, father, a club coach, where I demand high standards of my players on and off the pitch, as an ambassador for the club and as a coach with Scotland Under-20s, and these things mean everything to me."

April 17, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 04/17/2010

Squeeze is on at No.10

Writing in The Scotsman, Allan Massie reflects on Edinburgh's decision to retain the services of fly-half Phil Godman.

"The idea that it's 'time for a change' is in the air, and this may account for the somewhat downbeat response of a number of Edinburgh supporters to the report Phil Godman has signed a new two-year contract.

"Godman has been at Edinburgh for six years now, and has been the club's first-choice fly-half for most of the time. He was Scotland's preferred fly-half last autumn before losing his place to the rejuvenated Dan Parks after the opening Six Nations game against France. He had done generally well for Edinburgh and the club's steady improvement has owed a deal to him. Yet a good many people think that he has gone as far as he can, though he himself believes his best years are still ahead of him.

"He may well be right. It would certainly be silly to discount the possibility. Players can improve in the second half of their careers."

March 31, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 03/31/2010

A long journey ahead

David Ferguson talks to former Scotland U21 international David Kelly, who will hand-cycle 250 miles around New Zealand's South Island to raise money for spinal injury research, in The Scotsman.

"This week, he heads back to New Zealand, but with a deep sense of anxiety for when Millar did eventually leave the Land of the Long White Cloud, it was not for a Scotland jersey, but to a new life in a wheelchair, his spine having snapped in a rugby injury.

"Having rebuilt his life and become a clinical neuropsychologist, now at the regional neurosciences centre in Newcastle, the injury in 1989 ignited a passion for neurology and a life's campaign to seek treatment and a cure for spinal injury. He decided last year to mark the 20-year point by returning to the place where his life was dramatically altered.

"He is not taking the tourist route however. Dr Millar has been pushing his wheelchair along the roads around Newcastle daily for the past eight months, in all weathers, to prepare for a unique challenge – to hand-cycle 250 miles around New Zealand's South Island and raise as much money as possible for spinal injury research. That is where much of the anxiety stems from this week as he packs up for what he has termed 'The Mighty Push'."

March 28, 2010

Posted by Mark Doyle on 03/28/2010

Thom Evans: It felt like a bullet through my body

In the Sunday Times, Scotland's Thom Evans talks about the injury that almost ended his career.

"Rugby international Thom Evans has spoken for the first time of the horror neck injury that cut short his Six Nations season and sparked fears for his long-term health. He said he felt like a bullet had ripped through his body.

"The Glasgow Warriors wing spent almost a fortnight in a Cardiff hospital and was operated on twice after being injured in a collision with Lee Byrne shortly before half-time in Scotland’s match with Wales on February 13. His older brother Max was playing alongside him.

"The Zimbabwe-born player, who visited the Scotland camp to deliver an emotional pre-match talk shortly before their victory over Ireland last weekend, has now resumed light training and is hopeful of regaining full fitness.

"Recovering at home in Glasgow, his spine held in place with screws and a metal cage, he said the injury left him unable to move his legs. He added that the agony of learning Scotland had lost the game because of a stunning late collapse was more excruciating than the physical pain he endured."

March 23, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 03/23/2010

More of the same

Alan Massie salutes Scotland's famous victory over Ireland and asks for more of the same from Andy Robinson in The Scotsman.

"Goal-kicking is as much part of the game as giving or taking a try-scoring pass. Ireland picked Sexton rather than Ronan O'Gara at stand-off, and if O'Gara would probably have kicked these goals, he might not have set up Brian O'Driscoll for Ireland's first try, as Sexton did – and never mind that the final pass is getting a foot or two further forward every time it is recalled.

"Of course the game might have gone either way, like eight or nine other fixtures in the tournament. This time it went Scotland's way, and after the calamity of that awful late collapse in Cardiff, who could reasonably quarrel with that? Make no mistake: this was a famous victory. Over the years Scotland have found it hard to win away from home, and not only at Twickenham and in Paris.

"This was Scotland's first win in Ireland since 1998. What is more remarkable perhaps is that Andy Robinson's team came within seconds of a Cardiff-Dublin double. There is no doubt that, building on the foundations predecessor Frank Hadden left him, Robinson is getting a lot right."

March 15, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 03/15/2010

David v Goliath

Owen Slot digs up some stats and reviews a sorry state of affairs following the Calcutta Cup anti-climax in The Times.

"Really, it is a sporting miracle that Scotland can match England in the Six Nations Championship. Let alone occasionally beat them. Did you know, Johnnie Beattie said shortly after winning the man-of-the-match award, that there are as many registered referees in England as there are registered players in Scotland?

"I didn’t know, so I went back and checked and found that Beattie had got his information horribly wrong. Probably all those endorphins still rattling through his veins after showing England what a back-row forward can do when he is not only big, but fast and intelligent, too.

"No, Beattie is way out with his stats. There are 38,019 registered referees in England, which actually significantly outnumbers Scottish rugby players. There are only 32,817 registered players in Scotland. Measured head to head, there are 66 times more senior male players in England than there are in Scotland."

March 14, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 03/14/2010

Hail the Killer Bs

Michael Aylwin hails the influence of the brilliant Scottish back-row after they ripped into England at Murrayfield in The Observer.

"This place has been a famous graveyard for English hopes, so here was a twist of sorts. A stalemate and a game if not quite as stale as some of the turgid stuff we've seen in this fixture in recent years then pretty ropey all the same.

"But it did not follow the usual script of Murrayfield ding-dongs between these two – you know, when England are mugged by a ravenous group of Scottish axemen coming at them from all angles, usually in the pouring rain, ruining the rhythm of supposedly superior players and laughing all the way back to the Highlands. Here, it was the Scots who looked the superior side – superior of wit, superior of pace and unlucky not to have notched up a third consecutive win over England at Murrayfield.

"At the heart of it was a back row who easily outclassed their opposite numbers. They call them the Killer Bees, a triumvirate of Glasgow warriors, whose battle with their opponents represented the different philosophies adopted by the two teams. Sadly, they did not leave the field together, a horrible clash of heads seeing Kelly Brown, Scotland's No 6, staggering towards the touchline just shy of the hour mark. A shame, because he had continued his form as one of the players of the championship."

March 9, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 03/09/2010

No appetite for the boardroom

Mick Cleary runs the rule over the intriguing clash between Andy Robinson's Scotland and Martin Johnson's England this weekend in The Daily Telegraph.

"Just more than three years ago Andy Robinson was sacked by England. On Saturday evening he will stand, narrow-eyed and scowling as is his wont, as Flower of Scotland skirls into life and justifiably wonder if his opponents at Murrayfield are any better now than when he was in charge.

"If Robinson's Scotland side were to win, then the record of Martin Johnson, eight wins in what will be 18 matches by then, is not a whole heap more impressive than that of Robinson, who suffered 13 losses in his 22 matches in charge of England. Mind you, Robinson was unceremoniously moved aside following a miserable run of eight defeats in nine games, a terminal state of affairs in modern sport.

"Robinson has admitted to his own naivety in not fighting political battles. The one-time warrior of the rugby pitch had little stomach for the double-dealing of the committee room. Robinson had stop-start access to players and a schedule over which he had little control. All that has been rectified at a cost of £110 million to the Rugby Football Union. Johnson can pick and choose his men, play them and rest them as he sees fit, much to the chagrin of James Haskell's employer at Stade Français, Max Guazzini."

March 5, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 03/05/2010

Foundation to ensure 'Voice of Rugby' Bill McLaren will echo forever

The memory of the late Bill McLaren, arguably Scottish rugby's greatest ambassador, is to live on in a very tangible manner with the launch yesterday of the Bill McLaren Foundation.David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"The charity was conceived long before the famous commentator from Hawick passed away last month and so he was aware of the idea behind it and fully supported the concept. The Foundation finally received its charity registration last month, just days after McLaren died at the age of 86, allowing the trustees to go public with their plans.

"The Foundation has been driven by John Thorburn, the Hawick RFC secretary, Brian Renwick, a former Hawick skipper and now a rugby development manager, and Linda Lawson, Bill's surviving daughter, along with its chairman Malcolm Murray, Hawick historian Ian Landles, Hawick solicitor Sandy Bannerman and legendary Scotland internationalists Andy Irvine and John Rutherford."

February 27, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 02/27/2010

Evans taking one step at a time

Reflecting on his brother Thom's serious injury for the first time, Max Evans tells Stuart Bathgate in The Scotsman that his brother's focus was not on a return to the game but simply a steady return to ordinary fitness.

"The story of the past 14 days has been one of gradual improvement – a graphic contrast to the frightening picture which steadily became clear to Max on the day of the game. "At half-time I knew he had been concussed and there might be something to do with his neck, but it was very vague," he recalled. "We (Scotland] were in a good position and I was really focused on the game. It wasn't made out to me like it was anything major, so I didn't think much of it. I just thought the best.

"...Although his present tendency is to advise his brother against playing again, Max does not blame either rugby in general, or the Welsh players who tackled Thom in particular, for the injury. "How many guys do you see running flat out into contact? James Robson has been amazing and has been very close to me. He has told me it is the worst injury he has ever been involved in, and that from a man who has been involved in several Lions tours and Scotland tours. To say that shows that he was very unlucky."

February 15, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 02/15/2010

Character building

Tom English believes that Scotland can come back brighter following their heartbreaking defeat to Wales in The Scotsman.

"Byrne had chipped over Godman, who was the last man in Scotland's defence. He was racing on to a loose ball with a yard or two advantage over his nearest pursuers. Would he want to take a dive in those circumstances when he would have been convinced that a match-winning score was likely?

"It's a moot point, frankly. What is clear, though, is that Scotland will have to dig deep to recover from this. Perhaps every team that was ever worth a damn had to go through a day like Saturday in order to develop the mental toughness to survive. Maybe that's part of the process. You experience bitter and self-inflicted loss – Chris Cusiter and Mike Blair, class acts both, will be going through torture right now – and you grow from it. It was that prize-fighter and sage, Floyd Patterson, who said that it's in defeat that a man reveals himself. Well, if that's true, the events of the next few weeks are going to be gripping. How Scotland deal with what happened to them in Wales is going to define their championship, their year, and perhaps even the Robinson era.

"The errors at the end are all the harder to take because of the excellence of earlier. Before the deluge of Welsh points, we saw things that ought to get us excited. At last, we had a vision of a new Scotland, a Scotland that dictated the play, that was clever and clinical in possession and organised and defiant without the ball. The huff and puff of multiple, and fruitless, phases that we saw too often in the recent past, was gone and instead there came a directness and an intelligence that had the Welsh rocking for more than 70 minutes. Warren Gatland said the Scots didn't create much. With respect to the Kiwi, he was talking garbage."

February 9, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 02/09/2010

Try drought

Scotland trudge from the field against France © Getty Images

Stauart Bathgate talks to Scotland legend Tony Stanger about the current dearth of attacking quality in The Scotsman.

“There is no easy solution to the try drought which Scotland are experiencing, according to the country's joint leading all-time scorer of touchdowns, Tony Stanger, who along with Ian Smith tops the list with 24, believes that even if Andy Robinson's team score several tries in Wales on Saturday the problem will not have gone away.

“Now Talent Manager with the Sportscotland Institute of Sport, Stanger has an optimistic outlook, and is convinced that certain members of the Scottish team, who have now failed to score a try in three successive home Tests, do have the talent to make a difference. He believes, however, that the difference between merely creating chances and finishing them off is an extremely difficult gap to bridge.

"We can't ignore the improvements in physicality and in defence that have been made since rugby went professional," said Stanger, whose try in the 1990 Grand Slam game against England is the most celebrated individual score in the history of Scottish rugby. "It's chalk and cheese compared to my day. Organising a group of players to defend, or to work in the gym, is easier than trying to do the right thing under pressure. "We've got players who can make line breaks, like Johnnie Beattie and Sean Lamont did on Sunday. But if you don't score from the break, how do you organise from there? We have got creative players – the question is what happens next."

January 26, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 01/26/2010

A fond farewell

Mourners gathered in Hawick to pay their respects to Bill McLaren © PA

David Ferguson pays one last tribute to the late commentator Bill McLaren following his funeral in The Scotsman.

“The "lamppost of the lineout" Doddie Weir sat still, but towering over his friend and team-mate Gary Armstrong, the one that used to "burrow like a mole". Roy Laidlaw, the scrum-half McLaren likened to a "baggy up a Border burn", in testament to his slippery style, was sat near other favourites, Gavin Hastings and John Jeffrey, while the Gregor from the line "Townsend jouks into the clear" sat with Scotland coach Andy Robinson, Chris Paterson and Mike Blair and more current players and SRU officials. Gregor Lawson, the eldest of Bill's five grandchildren, brought the funeral service to silence and then ignited uproarious laughter in a fine tribute that intermingled memories of the man we all knew with his own private recollections.

“The word-play which he perfected as a commentator was not confined to the broadcast air we discovered. The voice of one of the grandchildren's girlfriends Bill likened to an air raid siren, "and that was early in the relationship too," Lawson added. They were rolling in the aisles in Hawick with that one I can tell you.

“Daughter Linda's soup was "like molten lava", grandchildren Alex, James, Rory, Gregor, and even Lindsay, were viewed by McLaren at tea-time as "a plague of locusts" or even a "tourist attraction", and at other times "the Hitler youth".”

January 25, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 01/25/2010

Ending on a high

Chris Paterson was again the hero for Edinburgh © PA

David Ferguson hails a victory for Edinburgh that means more than you might think in The Scotsman.

"There was much of a meaningful nature to take from what was, in Heineken Cup terms, another wonderful but ultimately meaningless finale to the pool ties for Edinburgh on Saturday.

“Soaked to the skin by another battering from the heavens – Edinburgh have experienced the excesses of snow, wind and rain in their last three European fixtures – a squad of visibly tired players trooped from the Murrayfield turf heads bowed but much brighter in heart than thepink-shirted Parisian foe they had put to the sword with more greater dominance than the scoreboard suggested.

“Edinburgh showed they had learned from their hammering in Paris at the onset of the 2009-10 Heineken Cup and were improved at the breakdown, Ross Rennie fashioning turnovers superbly until he was replaced after 33 minutes with an injured knee – the other one to that which has kept him out for much of the past two years, it was stated afterwards – while the forward pack dominated the set-piece for long spells and had the Stade forwards back-peddling furiously in driving mauls that moved 20 or 30 metres.”

January 21, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 01/21/2010

Commented on and commentated with

Brian Moore joins the tributes to the late Bill McLaren in The Daily Telegraph.

"The first time I worked with him I was even more nervous than usual. He was, after all, the stuff of legend. But it was more than that, I didn't want to let him down. Bill didn't give much in the way of advice but he would guide you through by the way he brought in natural pauses where you could contribute.

"And – very important when there is a match commentator and co-commentator – he never strayed from his job of description and trespassed on your area of explanation or comment. He was kind enough to say that he thought my first attempt had been "handsome", leaving the memorable parting shot that "you didn't repeat anything I said and nor what the viewers could see for themselves".

"Among the many comments following Bill's passing have been recommendations that would-be commentators should study tapes of his performances, the idea being that they could learn all they needed to know by doing just that. I disagree. Aspiring broadcasters should only do this if they keep a few important points firmly in mind."

January 20, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 01/20/2010

A national treasure

Simon Barnes pays tribute to the late, great Bill McLaren in The Times

"Bill McLaren, one of the last of sport’s great tribe of apostles, died yesterday. McLaren was the voice of rugby, just as Dan Maskell was the voice of tennis, Peter O’Sullevan of racing, John Arlott of cricket, Murray Walker of motor racing, Harry Carpenter of boxing, David Coleman of athletics. Most have left us, some have just retired.

"They won’t be dancing in the streets of his native Hawick at the news that McLaren has died at 86 (he was inclined to prophesy an outbreak of nocturnal dancing after most of the victories he covered for the BBC), but his was a life that demands some kind of celebration.

"He was first a rugby commentator; by his last match in 2002, all but 50 years later, he was a living national treasure, OBE, CBE and MBE to boot."

January 17, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 01/17/2010

All about timing

Iain Morrison assesses Scotland boss Andy Robinson's selection problems ahead of the Six Nations in The Scotsman.

"If timing is everything in comedy it's also proving pretty important in the field of sporting endeavour and Richie Vernon has yet to master it. The Glasgow player exploded on to the international scene during the autumn Tests with some superb displays off the bench, but the big breakaway looks set to miss the Six Nations, or at least the start of it, after blood tests last Wednesday proved he had contracted glandular fever.

"This can sideline a player for anything from three weeks to a year and obviously Vernon is hoping that his dose is at the bottom end of that scale. As a one-time medical student, the Glasgow man knows that glandular fever causes the spleen to expand and, if he returns to action too early, there is a danger it will burst.

"It's a huge loss for Scotland and a blow to coach Andy Robinson, although at least he has less of a selection headache when it comes to picking his No.8, which may be a blessing of sorts. Brian Moore once claimed that Robinson was a poor selector and Jake White has stated that 85 per cent of his job with the Boks was picking the right team. You have to hope one of them is wrong."

January 14, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 01/14/2010

Jackson hoping to teach opposition a lesson

Glasgow fly-half Ruaridh Jackson returns from injury tomorrow night brimming with excitement at the hours of extra tuition and "homework" he has received from Scotland's leading stand-offs. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"The 21-year-old was something of a revelation this time last year when, after starring on his debut against Bath in the Heineken Cup, he was called into Frank Hadden's final Six Nations squad. He was behind Dan Parks and Phil Godman in the pecking order, but it provided invaluable experience which he put to good use in the Scotland 'A' triumph in the IRB Nations Cup in June.

"However, his 2009-10 season started with a bang – coming off the bench against Munster in the opening game and dislocating a shoulder in the act of scoring a try. He played at full-back for the last 20 minutes of Glasgow's defeat away to Edinburgh a fortnight ago, but tomorrow night's clash with the Dragons will be his first start since he faced Connacht last May due to a shoulder injury. He revealed yesterday that he had spent much of the four months in rehab since learning from a trio of masters in teammate Dan Parks, Duncan Hodge, now the Scotland kicking coach, and the Scotland backs coach, Gregor Townsend."

January 13, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 01/13/2010

Winning on the road

Will Greenwood believes Glasgow and Edinburgh must start picking up points on their travels if they are to progress in the Heineken Cup, in The Scotsman.

"I have watched both teams a lot in the last few seasons and, knowing quite a few of the players, have been delighted to see their improvement and their ability to claim some of the top scalps with some excellent rugby. Glasgow proved winning away is eminently possible when they downed Toulouse in fantastic style last season, but by then their campaign to reach the quarter-finals was all over.

"I was at Kingsholm for Glasgow's last Heineken Cup game, with Gloucester, and have a bit of insight into Sean Lineen's men from my friends Thom and Max Evans. Now, there are no excuses for the fact that they did not win that game. None.

"They were in control and going well in the first-half. Glasgow killed Gloucester at the breakdown, Kelly Brown was brilliant on the deck and playing the ref, Gloucester lost four lineouts, the Shed was absolutely silent and Dan Parks built things well. But in the second half they started to lose the contact battle a bit, Gloucester's kicking game improved and Glasgow began to chase things, and that's the difference between a good side in Europe and an average one."

January 9, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 01/09/2010

Smith insists he can help prop up Edinburgh's creaking form

If there is one Scottish player you might want in your corner when the chips are down, Tom Smith must come close to the top of the list, according to David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"As a player the loosehead prop took up the challenge of scrummaging for the British and Irish Lions after only a few international matches with Scotland and duly went on to become one of Scotland's greatest-ever Lions with six consecutive Test starts. The first batch finished successfully, the second far from so. And so it was in his time with Glasgow Caledonians, Brive and Northampton, and, of course, Scotland: more ups and downs than a typical day's sledging.

"This week he had been trying to work his forward pack on a gym floor at Fettes College and, eventually, at Heart of Midlothian's indoor pitch at Riccarton. Such is life in the ridiculously barren sports facility landscape that is Scotland. Sessions have had to be cut to ensure the big 18 and 19-stone forwards in particular do not suffer injury, but Smith remains confident that the team are ready for one of the few sporting contests in the UK to beat the week's freeze."

January 8, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 01/08/2010

Answering your critics

Dan Parks talks to The Scotsman's, after agreeing a deal with Glasgow's Magners League rivals Cardiff Blues.

"The 31-year-old yesterday spoke openly about his troubles in transferring his form with Glasgow on to the international stage and admitted his decision to sign a new deal last year was about ensuring his time in Scotland did not end in bitter disappointment.

"He faced the challenge of recovering from the shame of a drink-driving offence and being dropped from the international picture by the new head coach, Andy Robinson, and, no matter what some critics think of him, he has undoubtedly gone some way in recent months to restoring his reputation.

"Parks accepts his Scotland career may be over, but revealed he told Cardiff, whom he will join at the end of this season, he still wants to be available for international duty if Robinson were to bring him back into the fold.

"Scotland cannot afford to ignore a player of 47 caps experience, still only 31, who is winning Magners League matches, at least not while international rugby remains a results-based business."

January 6, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 01/06/2010

Hot or not?

	Is Dan Parks the answer? © Getty Images

David Ferguson runs the rule over the options available to Scotland coach Andy Robinson in The Scotsman.

"The issue of who will wear the No10 jersey is the prime example, but it is far from the only great debate to have emerged from the winter of Edinburgh discontent and blossoming Glasgow confidence.

"Dan Parks has won the battle of the two stand-offs, but what Robinson, Gregor Townsend and Graham Steadman will be analysing in some detail now is just what he did in the two Magners League derbies against Edinburgh – effectively unofficial international 'trials' – and how much of it can translate into the bigger picture of the Six Nations, and the attacking style of game they believe holds the key to turning Scotland from simply a difficult team to beat to a threatening, try-scoring opponent.

"We knew before the 1872 Cup matches that Parks could kick better than any in Scotland and that, behind a pack securing good possession, can control the areas in which games are played, at pro level. International rugby has, in 47 Tests, proved less controllable for the Glasgow pivot.

"The discussion over who leads Scotland into battle against France at Murrayfield in just over three weeks' time, will focus as intently on what Phil Godman did and did not do at Firhill and Murrayfield, and how much better he might be with a more proficient pack."

January 3, 2010

Posted by Huw Baines on 01/03/2010

Slipshod Godman

Richard Bath mulls over Andy Robinson's selection problem at fly-half in The Scotsman.

”At least we know what Andy Robinson got for Christmas – a helping of Hobson's Choice, a surprise sprinkling of Catch 22, with a nasty little No-Win Situation thrown in for good measure. Little wonder that the Scotland coach looked even more intense and beetle-browed than usual.

“The clash between Scotland's top two sides has given Robinson plenty of food for thought, but nowhere are the selectorial decisions he will be taking less enviable than at stand-off, where all of the cards in his hand were on display at Murrayfield. Unfortunately, the outcome was as plain for him to see as it was for the rest of the stadium.

“On the one hand there was the player who is out of favour with the Scotland management and seemingly on his way out of the country, bound for the bright lights of Cardiff Blues in the summer. Dan Parks was imperious in virtually everything he did, playing with a control, confidence and experience which his coach Sean Lineen later described as breathtaking.”

January 1, 2010

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 01/01/2010

Armstrong leads calls for return of district set up

The success of the South of Scotland's first match back in 14 years as a district team of unpaid players against Northumberland has brought renewed calls for clubs to find a way of restoring the historic district championship. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"Nearly 2,000 supporters braved the icy chill at Netherdale on Wednesday night to witness the historic revival and the South run in five tries in a 37-3 win, after a minute's applause for South and Scotland scrum-half Duncan Paterson, who died last week.

"Among them were current Scotland coaches Gregor Townsend and Stevie Scott, former coach Jim Telfer and other ex-internationalists who wore the South colours, including Doddie Weir, Gary Armstrong and Cammie Murray.

"Armstrong, Scotland's last Five Nations Championship-winning captain, commented: "It was great to see the red-and-white hoops again and the standard of rugby was good with both teams really trying to play."

December 31, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 12/31/2009

Robinson hints at bright future

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."

December 30, 2009

Posted by Huw Baines on 12/30/2009

Heading south

Alasdair Reid hails the return of South of Scotland as a banner for the amateur game in the Borders in The Daily Telegraph.

”The South, representing a handful of sides in the Scottish Borders, were one of the first casualties of professionalism. Teams with a nominal attachment to the area may have played under a Borders banner since, but they were never truly representative of the local clubs which, between them, had produced well over 150 international players for Scotland down the years.

“Although professional rugby left the area with the axing of the Border Reivers in 2007, the amateur game has remained strong. It is still a productive nursery of talent, and players with their roots in the Borders make up half of the current Edinburgh team.

“Frustration with the fact that the area's rugby heritage had no representation led to a proposal, put forward by Hawick RFC just a few months ago, to reincarnate the South team. Things moved on swiftly from there, a provisional squad was selected and the head coach role given to Craig Chalmers, the former Melrose, Scotland and British and Irish Lions fly-half.”

December 29, 2009

Posted by Huw Baines on 12/29/2009

Friendly rivalry

David Ferguson meets Glasgow's No.8 rivals Richie Vernon and Johnnie Beattie ahead of their battle for a Six Nations place with Scotland in The Scotsman.

"The pair share a flat in Glasgow and are very good friends, Beattie, the elder at 24, helping to guide the younger Vernon, who, at 22, is still something of a rookie in rugby having turned his back on a degree in medicine only last summer.

"Last month, Beattie started for Scotland and Vernon enjoyed some time off the bench at the end of the Test matches, but, back to club duty in recent weeks the tables turned as Beattie was told to rest a debilitating groin injury he played with through the autumn Tests.

"Beattie had to watch on Sunday as Vernon turned in his best performance yet in a Glasgow jersey, before coming off the bench to replace the 'Man of the Match' in the last few minutes.
Vernon is certain to start again in Saturday's return at Murrayfield, his pace and athleticism a core part of Glasgow's bid to cope with Edinburgh's desire to improve on an uninspiring encounter at Firhill."

December 28, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 12/28/2009

Record-breaking day for Dan Parks

A decision to put hopes of an international return on back burner has paid dividends for record-breaking Glasgow No.10 Dan Parks, according to David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"Irony hung in the air at Firhill last night as Dan Parks' 20-point contribution to Glasgow's victory and record of becoming the first man to break 1,000 points in Magners League history ensured he was the player most were talking about, days before it is due to be confirmed officially that this was his last Firhill derby before he moves to Cardiff next summer.

"The 31-year-old stand-off was quick to pay tribute to his pack for allowing him the space and time to control this game for the first hour, and while it will only enhance the prospect of him returning to Scotland's RBS Six Nations squad next month Parks insisted putting international thoughts out of his head had been a factor in his fine recent form."

December 22, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 12/22/2009

Lineen claims laws need to be changed

Glasgow coach Sean Lineen believes that the time has come for some major tweaks to rugby's rules. He speaks to David Ferguson in the Scotsman.

"Rucking, he believes, has to be allowed to return to the game, with studs on bodies the only route to tidying up a 'breakdown' area that is now spoken of more than anything else in rugby and becoming a frustratingly apt description of the modern game.

"On top of that, the former Scotland Grand Slam-winning centre, insists that the scrum's 'hit', where the two packs batter into each other at the start of the scrum, should be scrapped altogether as it is the root cause of the plethora of momentum-jarring re-set scrums."

December 20, 2009

Posted by Huw Baines on 12/20/2009

Handling pressure

David Ferguson talks to former Scotland fly-half Craig Chalmers, now working with Scotland Under-20, about handling pressure in The Scotsman.

“He speaks with the same passion that once coursed through each muscle as a player, and obviously retains the deep love of rugby that marked him out as a stand-off of world stature when he first pulled on the navy blue jersey of Scotland 20 years ago.

“That may be why Craig Chalmers has taken to the challenge of developing players in the great problem position of Scottish rugby – the guiding, controlling stand-off role he once grasped with a conviction that left no-one in any doubt about the Borderer's self-belief. It is a fair task, one to compare perhaps with following his football team Rangers as they struggle to convince that they have a future among the European elite, or his close friend and former team-mate Bryan Redpath, who faces a harrowing end to 2009 if Gloucester lose to Glasgow in the Heineken Cup tomorrow.

"Pressure," says Chalmers, "is what drives us. I had a few drinks with 'Basil' (Redpath] after Friday night's game and he's going through a tough time, but he knows what he wants and he'll come through it and next year you'll see Gloucester rising. But I'd like his pressure. I'd like to be in that environment and I hope I get the opportunity in the future. I'm delighted to have been given the chance to work with the under-20s and it's quite exciting seeing the young players, particularly the stand-offs, just starting out, looking to make their mark.”

December 17, 2009

Posted by Ruaidhri O'Connor on 12/17/2009

Decision of conscience is a personal one and not for anyone to criticise

Writing in The Scotsman, former Scotland winger Kenny Logan says Euan Murray's decision to opt out of Sunday games on religious grounds is to be respected - but it will open doors for others.

"There is little doubt Scotland will miss Euan Murray at the start of an exciting RBS Six Nations Championship for Andy Robinson's team next year, but the confirmation this week that he will not play on a Sunday is something the players have to accept.

"Euan has earned a lot of respect in the game and a decision like that is a very personal one; his to make alone and not for anyone to criticise. When I played at Glasgow he was a talented player making his presence felt in the pro game, but he felt he needed a change.

"Euan knows that his place is not guaranteed and that by not being available for the opening match against France – whether or not he was going to start anyway – he is leaving the door open for good young props Moray Low and Geoff Cross, who have, in 2009, been given that first taste of international rugby. He will know how determined they will feel at the prospect of starting a Six Nations for the first time."

December 16, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 12/16/2009

Robinson rallies behind Euan Murray's decision

Scotland Andy Robinson has said he supports and respects Euan Murray’s decision not to play rugby on a Sunday, Alasdair Reid writes in the Daily Telegraph.

"Speaking at a lunch at Murrayfield, Robinson revealed that he had been discussing the issue with Murray for some time, but stressed that the talks were held to help him understand the player’s point of view rather than as an attempt to persuade the 28-times capped forward to change his mind on the matter.

"...However, Robinson refuted a suggestion that Murray, one of only two Scots originally selected for the Lions trip, was being given special treatment on account of his status."

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 12/16/2009

Robinson outlines importance of attacking skills

Scotland coach Andy Robinson believes that his side's attack will be a platform for success in the Six Nations Championship, writes David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"He also pinpointed poor kicking skills and a concern over players' fitness, pondering whether this played a part in their fading after a few phases of an attack and becoming predictable or going it alone as individuals. Dan Parks, he said, would come back into contention for the Six Nations if his form at Glasgow continued to improve, though he is also scouring for other contenders to the problem position of stand-off. But, a key to improvement in 2010, he insisted, lay with the players and their ability to emerge from a professional bubble and push themselves to improve skills."

December 3, 2009

Posted by Huw Baines on 12/03/2009

No sparkle for England or Scotland

Eddie Butler, writing in The Guardian, reviews a poor end to November for England and Scotland, but a thrilling one for New Zealand, Australia and Ireland.

"At the end of a desultory month, suddenly we had three cracking Tests between Wales and Australia, France and New Zealand and Ireland and South Africa. Just when it seemed that emergency legislation would have to bring the moratorium on law change to an end, six countries showed that anything was still possible.

"I think that's the point: that the outcrop of entertainment involved six countries. France and Wales may have been soundly put in their place by the All Blacks and the Wallabies, but at least they showed every intention of being positive.

"South Africa lost, but their assault on the Irish line at the end was the essence of the Croke Park drama. The game had come steeped in acid, as niggle between the two camps dominated the build-up, but in the end it stayed well within the bounds of acceptable, with Brian O'Driscoll's last-ditch tackle on Zane Kirchner the final stamp of approval."

November 25, 2009

Posted by Huw Baines on 11/25/2009

Have boots, will travel

Phil Wilkins remembers Gregor Townsend's short stay in Sydney club rugby in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"In all the madness greeting Scotland's win over Australia at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, one face shone as broadly as his fast receding forehead, just as when he proved one of the finest five-eighths to play in Sydney club rugby for Warringah.

"Gregor Townsend is 36 now, an ex-Scotland captain and veteran of 82 internationals, a British Lion with pride, so esteemed in the game that he received the MBE in the Queen's Birthday honours of 1999.

"He was just another wandering foreigner - have boots, will travel - a good, young five-eighth with a sense of adventure when he came to Sydney. But Warringah's scouts knew their stuff.

"Townsend soon established himself as one of the classiest, most creative pivots behind the Green Rats' man-eating pack at the old, welcoming tip site, a pivot who attacked the line, could pass short or play the wide-passing game or when the "black nor-easters" blew, kick it a country mile. He was a real pro. He was brave and he tackled."

November 23, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/23/2009

Courageous Scotland aim for clean sweep

Scotland coach Andy Robinson and his staff deserve praise for getting their side to believe in themselves once again. Read David Ferguson's thoughts in The Scotsman.

"The players were the heroes in Saturday's 9-8 victory over Australia, through great teamwork, concentration, dedication and desire, but, crucially, the four pillars the coaches have built for this team of inspiration, motivation, sound technical planning and self- belief were also there for all to see at Murrayfield.

"Remarkably, the team now looks to the possibility of a clean sweep of victories in the autumn internationals if Argentina can be beaten at Murrayfield on Saturday. Three wins out of three was Robinson's target for these games, but after years of under-achievement at international level, few were expecting the kind of swift turnaround of fortunes that has made this goal achievable."

November 22, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/22/2009

Passion and pride yield historic Murrayfield win

	Scotland celebrate a famous win while Australia's Matt Giteau hangs his head © Getty Images

Stunning, simply stunning. Scotland's victory over Australia was a sight to be seen according to Alasdair Reid in the Herald on Sunday.

"Mark down the date, for this was a performance and a result to write large in the history books. Scotland played with passion, pride and a kind of courage that defies any technical analysis. Statistically, they were barely in the game, but the scoreboard did not lie at the end.

"...There was a sense that Scotland were riding their luck in the early stages, but in the closing moments they played with staggering bravery and heart. As Australia hammered away at the home defence towards the end, taking the ball through 20 phases, the Scots held their nerve and their line."

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/22/2009

Awesome defence inspires Scots

Writing in The Scotsman, Iain Morrison reflects on Scotland's historic victory over Australia at Murrayfield.

"What was it Ian McGeechan said about the 1997 Lions? "Fifteen-man rugby, without the ball." That described Scotland yesterday because for long stretches the home side were stuck deep inside their own half, engaged in a desperate rearguard action.

"The they-shall-not-pass, stonewall resistance resembled Andy Robinson's Edinburgh at their best. Teams, and especially Scotland, don't become world class overnight but the first and easiest step to take is becoming cussed, sticky and damned difficult to beat at home and that is exactly what the men in blue were yesterday. They did very little with the ball, far too little, you could argue, to justify their win, but every player on the field defended as if their lives depended upon it."

November 20, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/20/2009

Rugby's moved on and left the Borders behind

Rugby in Scotland has moved on hugely in the past decade and in many ways has left the Borders behind, according to David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"The SRU, squeezed between a rock and a hard place by huge debt, emanating from poor income generation, ambition, marketing and financial acumen between 1995 and 2005, only accelerated that by deciding that the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow would become the focus of pro rugby.

"There remains a burning passion for the oval-ball game in the Borders, but there are real concerns that those harbouring it are dwindling in number. Football has been growing year on year in the Borders and countless young sporting talents now leave the area on a weekly basis for better facilities and competition, across Scotland and south of the border. Rugby is not the attraction it was."

November 16, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/16/2009

Robinson to be applauded

New Scotland coach Andy Robinson deserves praise after his players executed a well-planned strategy. Hugh MacDonald writes in The Herald.

"There is one leader of a Scotland side who is under pressure to depart but the coach of the national rugby side has made an impressive start. Andy Robinson was assailed by intemperate criticism on the airwaves before he encountered the press in the formal post-match conference after defeating Fiji 23-10 on Saturday but there was much to be encouraged by in a comfortable victory.

"Yes, this was a weakened Fiji team. Yes, Scotland were inconsistent, regularly sloppy in the second half. Yes, the pace drained from the performance suddenly, almost alarmingly. But this was a Scotland victory over a team ranked higher than them in world terms. Most importantly, Robinson made big decisions and he got all of them right."

November 15, 2009

Posted by Ruaidhri O'Connor on 11/15/2009

Shape of things to come

There may have been plenty of new faces on show at Murrayfield yesterday, but writing in The Scotsman Richard Bath says there were plenty of old failings on show.

"This was billed as a spectacular welcome to the dawn of the new-look Scotland. There was a new coach, new newcomers, new skipper and the new sound of Andy Robinson spontaneously combusting in the goldfish bowl for much of the second half. And no wonder the man charged with reviving Scotland's fortunes was feeling the heat – if there was much that was new yesterday, the same old frustrations were there in spades.

"If there were only a limited number of pointers to the long-term shape Robinson's new Caledonian order will take, it was hugely refreshing that he was willing to blood a whole raft of players. If he couldn't match Fiji, who had five new caps on the pitch and the same number on the bench, this was nonetheless the most significant mass initiation of Scotland players since Derrick Grant fielded half a dozen debutants in Jeremy Campbell-Lamerton, Finlay Calder, David Sole, the Hastings brothers and Matt Duncan for what turned out to be a momentous Five Nations win over France in 1986.

"Yesterday wasn't as drastic, or as successful for that matter, as that seminal 1986 match, which proved to be a watershed in Scotland's fortunes. But Robinson's first match at the helm was nonetheless unprecedented in recent years."

November 14, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/14/2009

Scotland must match Robinson’s expectations

Writing in The Times, Lewis Stuart previews Scotland's opening clash of the autumn against Fiji.

"Forget Fiji, the biggest challenge for Scotland’s players this afternoon, when they play the Pacific Island nation at Murrayfield is to show that they can live with expectation. In his first game as head coach, Andy Robinson, has laid down the standards he is demanding and has made it clear that he will not accept players falling short.

"On paper, it is a dangerous match for his side. Fiji are a place ahead of Scotland in the international rankings and the last time the teams met, during the 2003 World Cup, they were in the lead until the 77th minute."

November 13, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 11/13/2009

Robinson sets bar high

When the curtain rises on Scotland's international season it is very unlikely that those at Murrayfield will expect more than the new coach Andy Robinson. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"Robinson is not known to do anything by halves, though he was probably wise not to reveal his target for fear of having it thrown back in his face, but there can be no doubt that the new man is setting the bar high. Scotland have only once won three autumn Tests back-to-back, when Ian McGeechan and Jim Telfer led the team to victories over Romania, South Africa and Fiji in 2002. Not even that pair, however, launched their various tenures as head coaches with three consecutive Test wins."

November 6, 2009

Posted by Huw Baines on 11/06/2009

The Dream Team

Ahead of the November Tests, four of The Guardian's rugby scribes pick their current world XVs.

"The hits may be getting bigger but class is permanent. It will be interesting, even so, to see how many of this team are still pre-eminent when the 2011 World Cup kicks off in New Zealand.

"The autumn Tests will certainly tell us more about Jamie Roberts, so influential for the Lions, and the new French captain Thierry Dusautoir. Watch out, too, for the fast-rising Irish back-rowers Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip, Australia's Rocky Elsom and France's Maxime Médard."

November 4, 2009

Posted by Huw Baines on 11/04/2009

An indian summer

Paul Rees is hoping that the November Test matches provide something to shout about after mixed bags in the Six Nations and Tri-Nations in The Guardian.

"John Clare wrote about dark and dull November days, but how the game in Europe could do with an Indian summer as the autumn internationals beckon. South Africa, New Zealand and Australia arrive in Europe after a Tri-Nations campaign that was hardly more stimulating than the Six Nations championship which preceded it.

"The New Zealand coach, Graham Henry, was in typically waspish mood this week when he described most sides in Europe, meaning the Six Nations, as conservative in their approach. Dull, in other words. He cited Wales as the exception, but South Africa have hardly been a byword for adventure this year and their meeting with Ireland at the end of the month, who won the Six Nations by adopting similarly constrictive tactics, could come down to who blinks first.

"Henry laments the surfeit of kicking spawned last year by the experimental law variations, but Wales presaged the changes on their way to the 2008 grand slam when they kicked more often than anyone else in the Six Nations, keeping the ball in play and chasing hard. They were opportunistic and waited for the moment."

October 23, 2009

Posted by Ruaidhri O'Connor on 10/23/2009

Urgent need to develop talent

Writing in The Scotsman, David Ferguson looks at Scotland's shortage of out-halves and wonders how the situation can be improved.

"The need for debate over how Scottish rugby develops talent such as Alex Blair, Matthew Scott and Rory Hutton was underlined on Wednesday in bold red pen by Andy Robinson when he named just one stand-off in his first autumn Test squad as Scotland coach.

"There are 32 players in there, but just one recognised stand-off. Why? Simply, because we have not produced any others that Robinson and his assistants, Gregor Townsend and Graham Steadman, rate worthy of the Scotland jersey at this moment in time Embarrassed? We should be.

"The stand-off role may be the most glaring deficiency right now, but the whole system is under the microscope. Ian McGeechan tried to make changes as director of rugby in 2004-05, but had ideas binned, or agreed upon, but told there was no finance to implement them."

October 6, 2009

Posted by Huw Baines on 10/06/2009

There can be only one

Kenny Logan, writing for The Scotsman, believes that Scotland's Heineken Cup cause would be helped by allowing only one side in to the competition.

“Scottish teams don't have a good track record in the Heineken Cup, but it should be exciting for Scottish rugby fans as they prepare for the kick-off this weekend. Why? Because this is where you prove yourself and both Edinburgh and Glasgow have the talent to do something this year.

“Being honest, the wider world doesn't care how the Scottish teams do in the Magners League. Most of our players are used to performing on the international stage now and they know that clubs prove themselves in the Heineken Cup. And when that pressure has come we've failed miserably so far.

“The major thing holding us back is consistency. You only have to look at Glasgow's result in Toulouse last year to see how well they can play, but you can't then go to the Dragons and lose. Glasgow face the Dragons again this year and if they can't beat them, they can forget about a first appearance in the quarter-finals.

“You have to admit there are differences in strength in depth between the Scottish teams and the top 20 sides in Europe, who have academies, better facilities and finance to buy in top-quality players. We are also very much 'Scottish' teams, whereas the majority who step into the European cauldron next week will be a virtual 'League of Nations' roll-call. The competition is also tougher now – it's harder to reach the last eight than when Edinburgh did so in 2004 – but the Scottish teams are also much better now.”

October 4, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 10/04/2009

Ready for a kick in the Parks

Writing in The Scotsman, Richard Bath believes Glasgow's Dan Parks has rediscovered his kicking boots this season.

"There are some rugby players, usually great players, who define a team. Naas Botha did it in South Africa, when the Blue Bulls of Northern Transvaal were completely built around his kicking game. Lawrence Dallaglio did it with Wasps, his cussed nature allowing them to play a game built around pressure and aggression at the breakdown and in the tackle. Mid-1990s New Zealand were constructed almost entirely around the aim of unleashing Jonah Lomu.

Yet few teams have ever been more reliant on one player than Glasgow have been on Dan Parks since the little Aussie was lured to Hughenden from Eastern Suburbs, via a three-month trial with Leeds, by Kiwi Searancke back in 2003. Almost from day one, the Warriors have been the Dan Parks Show: when he plays well, the team plays well."

September 27, 2009

Posted by Huw Baines on 09/27/2009

Robinson revitalised

Richard Wilson talks to new Scotland coach Andy Robinson ahead of his first Tests in charge in The Independent on Sunday.

"The glance towards the pitch, which is cast in the sharp hopefulness of the late September sun, is one of lingering warmth. His eyes see much out there: exertions stretched and spent, small battles scattered and fought, characters revealed and diminished; all an expression in deeds of what he has come here to say. "It's nice, isn't it?" says Andy Robinson, as though he might be casually remarking about the crispness of his lawn. But he is sitting in a suite high in the sweeping stands of Murrayfield and, for a moment, one of the great warrior spirits of English rugby is lost to himself.

"Such a combative figure, a man so steeped in the gruff certainties of competition that the only definition he seeks is that of winner or loser, seldom grants himself a reprieve from the aggressiveness of his instincts. There is, though, something serene to Robinson, a kind of reassurance or understanding. He has just left a roomful of rugby correspondents after the first of the regular informal briefings he intends to hold as Scotland's head coach and, three months into the job, there is no air of a man still searching for meaning or confirmation.

"This, of course, is the place where Robinson came to reassert himself, to find a way to claim back the authority of his coaching ability and, crucially, to affirm again the sense of himself as an emphatic man of principle and conviction. That was with Edinburgh, the club he took charge of two years ago and guided to fourth then second, their highest ever finishes, in the Magners League. Now, the challenge that again demands so much of his awareness, so much of himself, is to achieve the same progress with Scotland."

September 11, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 09/11/2009

No stopping Paterson as he closes in on milestone

It may soon be the tenth anniversary of his professional debut, but the Scotland full back says he is getting better with age, writes Lewis Stuart in The Times.

"Even though he is 31, Paterson says that under the coaching of Malcolm Fairweather, the Scottish Institute of Sport’s sprint specialist, he is quicker than he has ever been. As long as he feels he is getting better, then his decade in the game, breaking both the Scottish caps and scoring records — 95 matches and scoring 738 points — is a huge benefit to both club and country.

"Speaking at the launch of an Edinburgh club discount offer for those who buy their tickets in advance, Paterson was happy to contemplate the tenth anniversary of his first professional match, and keep planning for the future."

August 9, 2009

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 08/09/2009

Has Simon Taylor consigned himself to history?

Writing in the Scotland on Sunday, Richard Bath questions Simon Taylor's decision to withdraw from the international stage.

"Taylor's decision to forego the Autumn internationals against Fiji, Argentina and Australia will also help Robinson focus on which new players he wants to blood. Teenage second-row Richie Gray, centre Alex Groves, openside Alan Macdonald, fly-half Ruaridh Jackson and fullback Jim Thomson will all be in his thoughts. But if this is the start of the line for Robinson's Scotland, what of Taylor, the country's most conspicuously consistent world-class player over the past eight years?

"If he has chosen to draw a line under his international career – and at the moment that is a big if – then it is utterly fitting that he has chosen to do so at a time of his own choosing and on his own terms. It has always been thus with the big breakaway from Crieff. A fickle soul, he has always trodden his own path, away from the rest of the herd. Even to his teammates he has remained an enigma, and to the press – of whom he once wrote in his Times column: "Scotland has its fair share of pernicious, perfidious pressmen waiting to stick the knife in. Charisma-free, rugby illiterate non-entities, many of them" – he is a monosyllabic interview to be avoided at all costs. Which, you suspect, is the way he wants it."