Loss to Wales The Culmination Of A Turbulent 6 Nations For Scotland

by Dugald Skene

The 2014 6 Nations tournament will likely go down as the most turbulent for both the Scotland team and fans since the inaugural tournament in 2000, and ultimately, one to forget.

After a misleading third place finish last year, a result that was more down to the misfortune and bad form of others than the Scots own good form, this year is has been the Scottish players and coaching staff, led by Scott Johnson, who have contributed significantly to their own downfall.

Between the poor opening display in Dublin and the final humiliation against Wales last Saturday there was a toothless Calcutta Cup performance, a rare win in Rome and a spirited game against the French which slipped away from the Scots in the second half due to poor game management and match time decision making.

So more downs than ups, for sure, but in an effort to salvage some positives from the tournament by the end of this blog, the negatives first need to be looked at, starting with Saturday's loss to Wales.

Let's be clear, Scotland didn't lose because Stuart Hogg got sent off.  It was clear from watching both teams before Hogg saw red that the Welsh were superior in most departments, and far more clinical. With 15 against 15, Wales would still have won the game convincingly, by around 25 points in my opinion.  The eventual 48 point difference at the final whistle was down to Wales scoring 4 tries that wouldn't likely have materialised with Hogg on the field, either by Hogg directly affecting the play or by his presence preventing Wales initiating the counter attacking moves in the first place.

Scotland were poor. Dougie Fife on his debut had a terrible game, particularly defensively. His failure to take the high ball from Liam Williams that led to George North's first try, his missed tackle on Jonathan Davies in the lead up to Jamie Roberts' try and finally his defensive positioning, failing to stick to the outside man George North as he ran in for his second, all crucial mistakes at crucial times for Scotland.

Greig Laidlaw looked very laboured all over the pitch, and his eventual replacement Chris Cusiter proved once again in this tournament that he is the better scrum half of the two, providing more impetus and quicker ball from which to build.

Wales outmuscled Scotland all over the pitch

Richie Gray was ineffectual for the duration, Al Strokosch didn't have the physical impact against the gnarly Welsh back row that we were all looking for.  He looked caught a little short following Kelly Brown's early injury.  Max Evans showed endeavour but failed to back it up with poor execution and his physicality was all too often trumped by the huge Welsh back line. Duncan Weir, who I maintain is the best option available for Scotland at 10, had a poor game, either kicking too long or not finding his touch on too many occasions.

Stuart Hogg's red card in the 23rd minute was a turning point, but it wasn't the cause of the poor performance and loss. Whatever you may think about the decision, it can't really be debated.  There's no way Hogg should have left the ground to make the hit on Biggar.  Had he just kept running and allowed his momentum to carry him into the Welsh 10, it would have been a yellow at worst.  The fact he demonstrated intent by jumping and leading with the shoulder makes it a clear decision.

Individuals aside, the team just didn't look coherent. The missed tackles racked up through the course of the game and Wales danced through the defensive line way too often.  Jamie Roberts had his best game of the tournament, making line break after line break and capping it off with a try at the end of the first half.

In a certain respect, I'm perversely pleased that Scotland were once again brought down so convincingly in this tournament.  Following the defeat to the English where Scotland failed to score a single point at home for the second time this season, it seemed the subsequent fortnight was spent by the media looking at the state of Scottish Rugby, and even the chief BBC sports writer Tom Fordyce wrote a lengthy piece on the subject having travelled to the Borders to talk about the drying up of talent from the area.  The spotlight was on Scotland and it needed to be. That focus disappeared with a win in Italy. Suddenly Scotland were fine, they had won there for the first time since 2006 and all was rosy again.

I am the first to acknowledge that having the National team winning is probably the single biggest motivator for youngsters taking up the game and continuing to play, but that win seemed only to serve the SRU, who didn't cover themselves in glory following the Calcutta Cup defeat. Beating Italy diverted attention from them and they were no doubt pleased to see that particular crack papered over.  The loss to Wales, and the nature of it, will hopefully serve to bring some of that focus back to the condition of the Scottish game, and highlight the inherent failures with the system, not least the number of Scottish players registered and playing, but the apparent bottleneck for progress of only having two professional teams each with over 50 players on their books.

Back to the national teams performances, and what is hard to fathom for the Scotland fans is the lack of consistency. Being drubbed at home by the English, then winning it Italy before pushing France close at Murrayfield doesn't show much of anything to the Scotland faithful 18 months from a World Cup.

Saturday's game marked the end of Johnson's tenure as Head Coach.

He now moves on to his new position of Director of Rugby

What does seem clear is that a desire for consistency in performance starts with consistency in selection (look at England in this tournament), and Scott Johnson's decision making in this regard often beggared belief.  Using captain Kelly Brown as the apparent scapegoat for a poor team performance in Dublin and dropping him entirely for two games was bizarre. When you compare the two home games, only 3 of the forwards that started against England also started against France - Ryan Grant, Jim Hamilton and David Denton.  The inability to strike a balance in all 3 elements of the pack proved too much for Johnson. 5 props, 3 hookers, 4 second row players and 6 back rowers were used in various combinations over the tournament.

The story is slightly different in the backs, where if anything, the consistency in selection actually was one of the highlights for Scotland.  The centre pairing of Matt Scott and Alex Dunbar continued from where they last left off on tour in South Africa last summer where they were both excellent. There's no doubt that Scott's injury during the Autumn tests was a massive blow for Scotland and this tournament has gone a long way to showing that these two are the pair that could be in place for Scotland for a long time to come.

All that said, the backs only combined to score 4 tries in the whole tournament, (none were scored by forwards), proving that that particular age-old problem still lingers for Scotland. In fact, 2014 marked a new low as Scotland came 6 points short of achieving their previous lowest tournament points total. The 47 points amassed in 5 games wouldn't have been enough to see off Wales on Saturday.

Duncan Weir's inclusion in the starting line up in Dublin, and his continued presence, has divided opinion amongst fans.  As I've iterated many times here, I am a fan and see him as the future for Scotland, certainly beyond the next world cup. His selection combined with the non-selection of any other recognised fly half specialist seems to indicate that the coaching staff (influenced or not by the prospective head coach Vern Cotter) agree with this.  I think they're right.

Weir has been somewhat thrust into the role.  His lack of international experience and lack of playing time this season meant he was the rabbit in the proverbial headlights coming into the Ireland game. He has been up and down throughout, his obvious highlight being the winning drop goal against Italy while his low was throwing the intercepted pass that led to an Huget try for France.  On reflection, he will realise the experience has been nothing but valuable and I hope for him that he uses that to kick on.

Sean Lamont is ageing and will be lucky to make the world cup. Sean Maitland was unlucky to get injured in the opening game, but Tommy Seymour came in to good effect in his absence. As already mentioned, Dougie Fife will have better days in a Scotland shirt, it's a shame he will have to wait a few months to right some of those wrongs.

Scotland's backs have competed well but executed poorly

throughout the 6 Nations

So what next? The anticipation of Vern Cotter's arrival in Scotland is palpable amongst fans. The expectation will likely be sky high given Cotter's CV, but he has one hell of a job to do.  While Johnson has sought to deepen the pool of international quality players by blooding many over his tenure, Vern Cotter requires to expand, find a consistency and build some confidence. Scotland are in with a very good shout of qualifying from their world cup group next year but before that, there are games in North and South America, South Africa and of course next years 6 Nations to deal with.

While Cotter has had to play with what he wants at Clermont Auvergne, he'll need to be satisfied with playing with what he's got at Scotland.  There is talk of Scott Johnson being retained as attack/backs coach as a second string to his role of Director of Rugby but this sounds illogical to me.  As David Ferguson of the Scotsman wrote this week, Johnson has genuine expertise and experience to help develop the structure of the game in Scotland, he does not need to be on the front line coaching players at the same time.

Cotter needs to be afforded the resources he needs to get the job he envisages done - the SRU need to back him up.  At the same time, the structure of the game in Scotland needs to be addressed, starting with the addition of one, if not two new professional teams.  The SRU are currently working on their comprehensive 6 Nations review that will see investment into creating four new academies around Scotland to reflect the four district system of old. Scott Johnson will oversee this creation and will lead the nurturing process.

It's no secret that Scotland are being left behind, it's a yarn that is spun at this time every year following what is more often than not a disappointing 6 Nations tournament. This year is no different, but there does seem to be more of a public reaction to Scotland's shortcomings, and resultantly an effort by the SRU to do something about it. There is a great deal of work to do, and a long road to wind for Scotland. Fans will be hoping Vern Cotter's arrival is a catalyst to exiting this 15 year long slump. Only time will tell.

Dreadful Scots Fall To Latest Low After Calcutta Cup Humbling

by Dugald Skene

Scotland 0-20 England

Dismal. Dour. Dreich.

Not so much the weather at Murrayfield on Saturday, but more a reflection on Scotland's display as they hosted England in the traditionally highly charged Calcutta Cup game.

Scotland were awful.  One dimensional and with a notable lack of enthusiasm for the game and occasion, they were simply overpowered by an England team by no means at their own best standard.

The conditions didn't help either team, but they should in theory have made it a more level playing field, figuratively if not literally.  Scotland couldn't even use that to their advantage.

The statistics from the game are pretty grim. Scotland managed only 42% possession and 34% territory at home. Even in Dublin they managed the majority of possession, despite not being able to capitalise on any of it.

0% kicking success. 82% tackle success (27 missed tackles), 201 metres run with the ball compared to England's 434.  16 penalties conceded compared to England's 7.  England played the game and the conditions to their strengths, electing to maul on 13 occasions with 100% success compared to Scotland's 2 mauls, where they lost 1. It goes on.

Short Calcutta Cup highlights

Sent out with a game plan to kick to the corners and to test the youthful English back three, a lot was riding on Duncan Weir at fly half.  He didn't have a great game as the territory stats clearly indicate, but no one really did. In the wake of the result, Weir is being made a principle scapegoat of those that took to the pitch, unfairly so in my opinion. 

But it's the interim coach Scott Johnson that has been justifiably receiving the lions share of criticism for Scotland's display.  He has been taking heat ever since his bizarre decision to remove captain and all round forward stalwart Kelly Brown from the match day squad, and yet allowing hooker Ross Ford to retain his starting place despite a dire performance in Ireland and a plainly clear inability to perform the two key roles he is on the pitch to do - hooking and throwing.

Scotland's set piece was terrible. If there was any chink of light, it's that the solidity of the scrum was a little better than in Dublin (Scotland didn't lose any of their scrums), but it was the lineout where Scotland suffered so badly once again.  The usually reserved Murrayfield crowd made their discontent with Ford's performance, and likely his selection too, clear with an ironic cheer when he was substituted for Scott Lawson, a substitution that came all too late in the game.

The lineout stats make for the grimmest reading. Scotland won only 7 of their 12 lineouts, while their misguided kicking game and high penalty count provided England with a staggering 24 lineouts, 22 of which they won.  Scotland's defensive lineout is normally a strong point but even here, Jim Hamilton and co were ineffective, and that's when they actually decided to compete.

Scott Johnson's credentials are as an attacking coach which is strangely ironic. The best part of Scotland's game in the last decade has been their defence, a collective resilience that has been hard to break down and has contributed to some unlikely results against the likes of Australia and South Africa in recent years. And yet the attacking element of Scotland's game has been woefully deficient. This isn't solely Johnson's fault, many have tried and failed before him, most recently Gregor Townsend with the backs. However, it's easy to sympathise with the fans that criticise the lack of forward endeavour when the team is being coached by someone who has been brought into the coaching set up to address this exact problem.

Johnson is not a qualified international head coach, though you can see how he managed to talk the high hedions in the SRU round to giving him the interim job. And it is this 'filler' part of the position where you get the distinct feeling he isn't really putting his all into it.

Scott Johnson is not in the Scotland's fans good books

The most damning thing, however, is that I'm not convinced Scott Johnson has the faith in his own players to do the job, no matter what directives they are sent out with.  His rhetoric and spiel in the run up to each game has been 'if we're in it with 20 to go, we'll have a chance'.  This is a negative outlook from the off, no matter how you see it.  It may be argued that he is just being realistic, and I would buy into that, but he shouldn't be the guy sending out these messages. He needs to be the guy that has full confidence in his squad and telling them as much.  You got the distinct feeling with the way the Scots came out to play and the half baked game plan they tried to adopt, that they came out with damage limitation the first priority.

So were there any positives? Well, yes - a couple.

Chris Fusaro's selection seems to have been justified as Scotland managed to win 73 of their 75 rucks, and managed to force England into 14 turnovers, two more than Scotland gave up.  As I mentioned, the scrum held up well against one of the best packs around, but that's about it.

What happens now?  The Scottish rugby media has come out all guns blazing in the wake of the result, and are calling for change. It seems the loudest call is to move Stuart Hogg, the only really effective back in the Scot's line up to fly half.  I cannot agree with this move.

I am a huge fan of Hogg, but he is not a 10 and he is not the future of that position.  He isn't a great kicker under pressure and his pace wouldn't be utilised at first receiver.  While I agree his attacking talents are needed more in the back line, he'd be far more effective at 13. All that said, full back is still his best position and Scotland's game needs to evolve to get him more involved from that deeper role rather than moving him into a position where he can't be at his best.

Duncan Weir needs to be stuck with.  It's excruciating to see Scotland perform like this and to come up so badly short in these contests, but for me, and I've said it repeatedly in the last 6 months, Weir is the future of the 10 shirt. He needs to be given this chance to establish himself.

The benefits of having a genuine openside appear clear, if not from Fusaro's performance then at least from looking at any successful team around the world.

And what of Greig Laidlaw?  He missed his two opportunities at goal, one of which painfully demonstrated his limited range in front of the sticks. Duncan Weir is a sound kicker, and can only improve if given the opportunity. Chris Cusiter is a very able back up at scrum half but at his age, he isn't the future. Henry Pyrgos appears to have been dropped like a bad habit, but I would encourage his return to the fold.

The light at the end of the very long tunnel is that we know Scott Johnson will not be head coach in 6 months time.  The current displays by the Scotland team mean that the arrival of Vern Cotter is putting an unfair weight of expectation on him, which is only getting heavier the more Scotland lose.

I refuse to believe Cotter is not having an influence now on the team selection.  The decision to opt for Duncan Weir as the starting 10 with little international experience with no specialist back up is a clear directive and I believe positive move for the future.  Tell me Cotter hasn't had a say in that decision.

Vern Cotter's contract at Clermont ends this summer

Cotter's immediate problem when he arrives will be to temper the expectations of the fans, a distraction we could all remind ourselves he could do without.  While he has an embarrassment of riches at Clermont Auvergne, a club where he can get more or less who he wants, at Scotland he needs to work with what he's got.  His talents as a man manager and a motivator will be as important as his technical and strategic nouse.

Scotland have a lot of work to do, as do the SRU.  What is becoming increasingly clear is that the performance of the national team, the face of the organisation, is highlighting the deeper problems within the game in this country.  Scotland ha been both slow and disorganised in adapting to professionalism, and the effects are being felt almost 20 years on from the change. I'd urge you to read Bill Lothian and David Ferguson's thoughts on this, over on the Scotsman website.

Scotland have 2 professional teams. One of those, Glasgow Warriors, have 54 players on their books, more than enough to field three teams.  That includes Duncan Weir and Ruaridh Jackson, currently the top 2 stand offs in Scotland.  With this many players on the roster, it is nigh impossible for anyone to get a consistent run at a high level in this country.  Something clearly needs to change.

In the meantime, the national team have a fortnight to prepare for a do or die clash in Rome.  I'll be honest, I don't hold a great deal of hope, but even if Scotland were to win in Italy, nothing changes. Deep rooted problems require fundamental change, and until that happens, Scottish fans may well have to put up with performances like Saturdays for years to come.

Scotland's 2014 6 Nations Squad Does Little To Address Problem At Half Backs

by Dugald Skene

The 36 man Scotland training squad named on Wednesday for the upcoming 6 Nations tournament didn't throw up many, if any surprises.  In the wake of the announcement, some familiar comments were banding around the social networks, some that have been aired many times before but nevertheless still haven't been answered - like why Chris Fusaro is still not capped by his country?

Congratulations to Dougie Fife too, who was named in the squad as the only new boy.

For all the familiarity of the selection, the deficiencies at half back are still as glaringly obvious as ever.  Only two scrum halves - Greig Laidlaw and Chris Cusiter - have been selected and Scott Johnson appears to be once again plumping for Ruaridh Jackson at 10, with Duncan Weir his back up option.

The latter stuns me.  While there has no doubt been a marked improvement in Jackson's all round play under the tutelage of past master Gregor Townsend since his takeover of the Glasgow head coach job, Ruaridh is not an international stand off.  It's not for lack of trying and it's certainly not because he hasn't been afforded the opportunity, he has simply failed to take it and run with it.

Of course this is open to argument, but I would encourage anyone to try and think of any Ruaridh Jackson related highlights for Scotland in the past 5 years or so.  I certainly struggle.

Ruaridh Jackson is under pressure to perform

What's more, I believe there is better talent behind him ready to be exposed at a consistent level.  First in line is Duncan Weir.  Small in stature and a little weak in defence, he has far me far more awareness of the game around him and is infinitely better at making those split second decisions.  A classic example would be when he came on for Jackson in that dismal performance against South Africa last November. Almost instantly, he was shipping the ball to the man on his outside shoulder and wasn't trying audacious miss passes at every opportunity.

His kicking from hand is accurate, and possibly his best weapon. Even better, he knows when it's on and when it isn't. His threaded through kick against South Africa was inch perfect and should have led to Tommy Seymour crossing the line was it not for some last ditch covering. It was Scotland's only real chance of the game and came from a clear awareness of what was in front of him and a well executed kick under pressure from a strong South African defensive line.

The issues over his size and strength are real ones, but it wasn't that long ago that Leigh Halfpenny was considered quite weak defensively. We all know how that turned out.

Second in line is probably Tom Heathcote, who I admit up front I don't know a huge amount about.  What I have seen of him from the quadrangular tournament in South Africa last summer and a few games here and there, he has the clear potential to establish himself as a very different option to Weir. Being based in England, he has had little opportunity to familiarise himself with the Scottish crowds, and vice versa, and so some exposure now would have been beneficial, I would have thought.

Time is running out. With a  little over 18 months until the World Cup, Scotland need to have an established figure at 10 that can direct the game, and even be a game changer. Not since Townsend have we had any real creativity at that position, it's all been a bit one dimensional. That's not to say a non-creative player can't succeed - I wouldn't put Craig Chalmers in the bracket of 'flair player' - but at least Chalmers was solid, consistent and knew how to read the game and adapt accordingly.

With the likely crucial showdown with Samoa set to dictate whether Scotland progress from the group to the quarter finals, experience at key positions is going to be required.

In short, this 6 Nations tournament is the last chance for Ruaridh Jackson. I'd give him two games to prove that he can step up and perform for Scotland at the highest level, including at Murrayfield against the English, who we have only lost to once since 2004 on Scottish turf.

So what about scrum half?

Firstly, I'm surprised Henry Pyrgos hasn't been included in the squad.  With only 2 specialist scrum halves, we are not giving ourselves many options.  As much as I like him and he has been my preferred number 9 of the last decade or so, Chris Cusiter is on his way out at international level.  In many respects, he has been unlucky in the past with injuries and a particularly strong competition for places whilst Mike Blair and Rory Lawson were both vying for top spot. 

That said, unless there is a clear intention for Cusiter to be at the next World Cup as one of the top two scrum half options, he shouldn't be picked over the younger emerging talents of the likes of Pyrgos.

I'm no betting man, but provided he stays fit, Greig Laidlaw will be the first name on the World Cup team sheet - of that I have no doubt - and I would be happy with that.  He has been reasonably consistent and he knows how to rally his forwards. A strong voice for a wee man and a key leader for a team that lacks a lot of leadership, especially in the backs.

If the Scottish fans are honest with themselves (and I am a hopeless optimist at this time every year), Scotland don't have a realistic shot at the 6 nations title.  It may be a slightly controversial opinion, but I would happily see the Scottish coaching staff approach this year's tournament with an air of experimentation, fully aware that the price may be a wooden spoon.  I believe the potential long term benefits may well be worth it.  I'm not suggesting we don't compete, because any Scottish player would give their all, no matter who was on the pitch. I just think it might be the right time to take some risks.

Scott Johnson's selection is notably risk averse, and this saddens me somewhat.


Scotland's 36 man training camp squad for the 6 Nations 2014:

Forwards: John Beattie (Montpellier), Kelly Brown (Saracens), Geoff Cross, David Denton, Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford (all Edinburgh Rugby), Chris Fusaro (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby), Ryan Grant, Jonny Gray (both Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Castres), Jim Hamilton (Montpellier), Robert Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Lawson (Newcastle Falcons), Kieran Low (London Irish), Moray Low, Pat MacArthur (both Glasgow Warriors), Ross Rennie (Edinburgh Rugby) Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan), Tim Swinson and Ryan Wilson (both Glasgow Warriors).

Backs: Chris Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh Rugby), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Max Evans (Castres), Dougie Fife (Edinburgh Rugby), Stuart Hogg, Ruaridh Jackson, Sean Lamont (all Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh Rugby), Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors), Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens), Greig Tonks (Edinburgh Rugby) and Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors).

Not considered due to injury: Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Euan Murray (Worcester Warriors), Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors) and Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby).

Notable names left out: John Barclay (Scarlets), Jack Cuthbert, Roddy Grant (Edinburgh), Dougie Hall, Henry Pyrgos, Jon Welsh (Glasgow)

Rudderless Scotland Need Head Coach Issue Resolved Soon, But Correctly

by Dugald Skene

The 2013 6 Nations tournament now seems an oddly distant memory. Just over 3 weeks have passed and there has been plenty of time to reflect on each team's performance.

Wales won it again, putting to bed a torrid second half of 2012. England fell at the final hurdle again, throwing away the chance to win a grand slam on the final day of the tournament for the 8th time in 24 years. France had what can only be described as a major blip, Ireland suffered heavily for lack of development in the past 3 years and a horrible looking injury list and Italy continue to improve, this time adding a distinct stubbornness to their performances.

So what about Scotland?

A third place finish including back to back wins is a welcome change, of that there is no doubt, but the Scottish team and their fans shouldn't read too much into their final table position.

Middle table obscurity came because of the poor form of both Ireland and France. In the end, Scotland only won 2 matches from 5, both at home and one of which they had no real right to claim. They weren't ready for the clash at Twickenham in the opening weekend and failed to capitalise on the poor form of the French in closing weekend.

There seems to be something of a falsehood to claim that the Scots are on the rise again.  Scott Johnson and his interim staff helped to stop the rot and get rid of the bad taste left by Tonga that lingered over the winter.  His distinctly different, conservative and tactically defensive minded approach to that taken by Andy Robinson was to be applauded at first, but then grew tiresome as Scottish fans saw no tries against Ireland or Wales.  A swell of opinion to play expansive, no holds barred rugby in Paris rose in the lead up to super Saturday, but Scotland left it too late in the game to oblige.

So a mixed tournament at best for Scotland. The perceived success of finishing third has been borne more from relief at not fighting it out to avoid the wooden spoon yet again than it is about finishing in the top half.

Is Johnson Scotland's man for the future?

Scotland still lie 10th in the IRB world rankings.  That is perhaps a better measure of their overall performance. No real progress, but no regression either.  A further measure will be in 3 weeks when Warren Gatland is due to announce his Lions squad to travel to Australia. How many Scot's will be included then?

With no permanent appointment to the head coaching post yet, the SRU have implied that they're not sold on Scott Johnson.  It strikes me that if they were, he'd have the job by now on a permanent basis.  They have had plenty of time to consider other applicants and to assess Johnson's own performance over the past 3 months to surely have made a call on it.

Scotland are a bit rudderless at the moment, basking in the windless doldrums waiting for a gust to get them going again. The permanent appointment of a positively minded, experienced head coach would provide that gust. 

Some would claim that the aim of this year's 6 Nations was to prove Scotland are competitive again and to prevent a continued downward slide following a pretty dismal autumn series. If that's the case, then it's job more or less done. However, I wanted more.  Scotland had an opportunity to not only save themselves, but to put others to the sword as they saw the likes of Ireland and France struggle around them. Yes, Scotland beat Ireland, but they didn't deserve to. Scotland needed to dominate that game rather than the other way around.

It's time for the Scottish team to show more than the odd glimpse, or occasional Italy style performance on a consistent basis. Lead games from the front, capitalise on poor opponents.  There is precedent this season in the form of Glasgow, sitting pretty atop the RaboDirect Pro12 league.  Their ruthlessness has been the key progression this year, masterminded by head coach Gregor Townsend.  That all begs the question of where that ruthless streak was in the national team when Townsend was backs coach until last summer?

Scotland have a decent pool of players to pick from right now and it's time for the SRU to step up in the best interests of the national side to find a coach that can collate and focus that talent on the pitch.  Personally I'm not keen on Johnson, but he hasn't done a great deal wrong. Given the potential pool of suitors, he is one of the more preferable candidates.

Who would you pick as the next Scottish national head coach?

Time For Scots To Change Tact

by Dugald Skene

I was riled a little this morning when my Welsh friend mocked Scotland's over-reliance on the kicking game in this years 6 Nations. Unfortunately, he's right.

It has been the most significant tactical switch employed by interim coach Scott Johnson from those utilised by his predecessor. At last years tournament under Andy Robinson, Scotland were the biggest carriers and offloaders, but it never ultimately seemed to come to anything. This year, Scotland have leant back on their more sound principles, namely their defence.

Generally speaking, Scotland's defence has been very good, and they are more than happy to depend on it and play without the ball for large portions of a game. The possession percentages against Ireland and Wales particularly have been very low, not because they have been outplayed (although it has happened at times), but rather because it's part of the design. Captain Kelly Brown has epitomised the defensive stoicism, racking up tournament leading tackling figures.

Kelly Brown has led the tournament in

tackling stats

All this depends, however, on field position. Scotland like to defend so long as it's high up the pitch. Any opportunity to hoof the ball from their own half is taken, normally by Greig Laidlaw from his scrum half position. Territorial advantage is king in Scotland's game plan.

The net effect can appear to be very negative, and now it has been adhered to for 4 games in this years tournament, I'm starting to pine for change.

It's widely acknowledged that Scotland have potentially one of the most exciting young back 3 combinations in Europe, but they haven't been given the opportunity to cause havoc with Scotland on the front foot.

At Twickenham, they were given a clear license to counter attack from just about anywhere on the pitch, preying on England's reliance on the territorial kick, and they executed that part of their brief excellently.

Both of Stuart Hogg's tries, along with Sean Maitland's effort, have come directly from defensive positions. Only once has Scotland put the ball through the hands from an attacking platform, resulting in a n excellent try for Matt Scott against Italy.

Stuart Hogg scores at Twickenham

Scotland notched up 6 tries in their first 2 games. They haven't managed any since.

So now Scotland find themselves in an unusual position - mid table obscurity. Saturdays tournament curtain closer in Paris sees Scotland take on a struggling outfit with not a great deal to lose, and with little pressure playing at home. It presents the perfect opportunity to play a more expansive brand of rugby.

They are capable of it, and have the players and finishers to execute it. The question is whether Johnson will stray from his usual tact to exploit a rare opportunity to get a win against an underperforming French side.

Johnson has stuck with Duncan Weir at fly-half, and rightly so in my opinion. Despite having back up in the form of Kelly Brown when Wales attacked the 10 channel, he showed himself to be a stubborn tackler. Some of his creative touches in attack, as few and far between as they were, were pretty good. His chip and chase in the first half last Saturday showed he has the vision and nouse to make positive yards.

Weir will be the fulcrum of any attack if Scotland choose to move the ball wide more often and so he will have to add that extra dimension to his game this weekend, but I see no problem with him stepping up in this regard.  Centre Matt Scott has had a good tournament and is settling nicely at the 12 position.  Sean Lamont looks uneasy at 13, not his natural position, and has been caught out as the blitz runner in Scotland's defensive scheme.  With ball in hand though, he is capable of punching holes in that robust French midfield.

Building phases will be key for Scotland. Only once against Wales did they build a series more than 5. They will have to earn the right to go wide by sucking in defensive players in the middle as they make the hard yards to give Hogg, Visser and Maitland any chance to exploit space.

Scotland have it in them to score tries against France and to play a bit of rugby in what should be good conditions.  They owe it to themselves to play better than they did against both Ireland and Wales.  If they have ambitions to win 3 from 5 and finish the tournament in the top half of the table, they're going to have to.

Johnson Appointment A Coup For SRU

The recent appointment of Ospreys head coach Scott Johnson by the SRU is a significant move in a number of ways.

Firstly, Johnson is a high calibre coach.  Having coached within the Welsh national setup, been the head coach of the US national team and been an assistant coach with his native Australia, Johnson has led a successful spell at the Ospreys since April 2009.

Secondly, it is a strong signal by the SRU of their will to progress and support head coach Andy Robinson following the renewal of his contract after the World Cup.  Robinson will no doubt have played a large part in the apppointment emphasising the mutual respect the Union and he has.

Scott Johnson to join Scotland at the end of the season

Make no mistake, the signing of Johnson is a little bit of a coup for the SRU.  His skills are universally recognised and I'm sure there would have been other suitors willing to pay for his services.  Johnson's first involvement with Scotland will come during the summer tour following the conclusion of the season.

The real effects of his work won't really be seen until the Autumn Internationals in 2012, and I for one am looking forward to seeing the impact ofanother high quality coach is to the Scottish team.