Should Gatland Be The Lions Coach?

It was announced yesterday by the Welsh Rugby Union that they would be prepared to grant Warren Gatland a leave of absence from his Wales head coaching role for the 2013 6 Nations tournament to allow him to fulfil his role as the potential new British & Irish Lions coach for the tour down under next year.

He is an exceptional candidate for the job, but I think the fickle amongst us will question whether the role should go to someone from outwith these parts?

It’s a debate that has been prevalent in the media of late following the resignation of Fabio Capello as England football manager.  There were often doubts as to his credentials on the basis that he was foreign.  It has since come to light following the press conference by the FA that there were struggles with the language barrier, amongst others.

Of course, those particular difficulties don’t apply to Gatland, but it is worth examining his prospective employment for the Lions. 

There are huge positives in his advantage, not least that he has spent a great deal of his coaching time in the northern hemisphere, holding the top job at Ireland a few years before becoming the Welsh head coach.  His success in those roles is well known, particularly with Wales.  Few people realise that he was the man than gave international debuts to the likes of Brian O’Driscoll for Ireland before those players excelled under Eddie O’Sullivan.  As a result, his knowledge of the player base and the game in the UK and Ireland is unquestionable. 

However more than anything, he was a member of the coaching party for the Lions 2009 tour in South Africa.  He knows what it is to be a Lion and what is required at that level.  He understands the history, emotion and unique united-ness inherent with any Lions tour.  But he's also been on the other side having faced and beaten the Lions with Waikato in 1993.  Even as an outsider, his motivation can surely not be questioned.  The fact of the matter is he is highly competitive coach, no matter what role he is in.  Besides, I’m not convinced that you have to motivate a Kiwi to beat the Australians in a one off test series.  His motivation may lie elsewhere, but it will certainly be there, of that I have no doubt.

Warren Gatland on tour with the Lions

in 2009 in South Africa

Of all the potential ‘foreign’ candidates, Gatland is certainly the most qualified in terms of knowledge and experience of the game in the UK and Ireland.  I can’t really think of another who comes close in that respect.  England are current entertaining the possible recruitment of Jake White and Nick Mallett as permanent replacements for Martin Johnson should they choose not to continue with Stuart Lancaster.  A move for either carries risk, though maybe less so for Mallett with his recent role with Italy and his experience in the 6 Nations.  Should either or both be unsuccessful with England, they may be available for Lions selection should they wish to cast their net that far.

What all this discussion does raise is the question of which native could lead the Lions next year.  Do we have a legitimate candidate ourselves?  The most likely of the current international coaches is Declan Kidney.  Andy Robinson would be a good number 2 but always more of a coach than the point man.  Lancaster too would be more suited to a backroom position.  Would Ian McGeechan be interested again? Jim Telfer? Clive Woodward?

It’s a fascinating debate.  In my opinion, Gatland is the outstanding candidate right now, regardless of where he is from.  He is an out and out rugby man and knows how to lead a successful (if unlucky) team on tour following the success of Wales in the recent World Cup in his native New Zealand.  As it stands, he has my vote.

Mixed Outcomes For Scotland In Cardiff

Wales 27, Scotland 13.  The final score is more reflective of 16 minutes of madness than the game as a whole which saw some crunching defensive displays, some excellent attacking rugby from both sides and some forward displays that will have the future Lions coach with some good but hard decsions to make in just over a years time.  You might say that is over-egging the achievements of some players in this game, but I defy anyone to suggest that the games from Denton, Lydiate and Rennie were anything but world class.  If Richie McCaw was watching, he would have had a smile on his face.

Scotland's efforts were undermined by a couple moments of poor play and decision making.  Well in the game at halftime with the scores tied at 3-3, Rhys Priestland's restart was neither caught nor let go by Cusiter, resulting in a lineout for the Welsh that provided the platform for their first real venture into the Scotland 22 and try. 

Scotland heads went down. Wales tails went up.

After Cuthbert's opener, Leigh Halfpenny would go on to score a further 22 points including 2 tries.  Scotland were left to rue their mistakes and make the best of what was left, but to their credit, they played around, through and over the Welsh for the final 20 minutes in a display that will do much for the squad confidence and the fans support.  That try even came too.

Many have reviewed the game in detail since, but I wanted to look specifically at Scotland, and see what good came out of the game and what bad let them down.  To do that, let's look at the tactics, the key refereeing decisions and then the contributions of each player.

Tactics

For a team struggling to score tries, going to Cardiff to play an in form Wales is as hard as any test match will be.  That means the fundamentals have to be right and scoring tries will come off the back of it.  To that end, Scotland got it spot on for 64 minutes of the match.  The other 16 minutes, straight from the kick off in the second half where Cusiter’s indecision to catch the ball or let it go led to a rare Welsh lineout and an attacking platform, ultimately leading to the first try of the game.  Scotland heads dropped and a period of madness ensued, typified by Nick de Luca’s off the ball tackle on Jonathan Davies which was a clear yellow card, a decision Romain Poite got right, except it was the touch judge that ruled it.

Once Scotland got their act together, they’d had two men sinbinned, and conceded three tries.  The remaining 20 minutes of the game saw a resurgence and Scotland playing the best rugby they have played for some time.  The introduction of Blair injected a bit of pace into proceedings, and the magnificent debutant Stuart Hogg was rampant as the game opened up. 

Scotland have always done well when chasing a lost cause.  It may sound harsh, but when pressure is off, particularly away from home, they play some of their best rugby.  Robinson wanted to show that Scotland had it in them, that they can create chances.  It was clear from the Calcutta Cup game that the creative part wasn’t necessarily the problem, it’s the conversion of those chances.  Sure, Hogg’s try should have stood, a decision that Poite got spectacularly wrong, but Scotland kept pressing and got their try through Laidlaw, their first in 386 minutes of rugby.

In a game of two differing halves, the first being a real battle where both teams knocked lumps out of each other and the second which was far more open and unpredictable, Scotland, on the whole, dealt with it well but for some poor individual decision making.

The Referee

Romain Poite is one of those referees that divides opinion.  I'm not sure that yesterday's game did him any favours.  Firstly, offside.

Mike Phillips tweeted after the game that the Scots were permanently offside.  I think a lot of that is to cover up the fact that he had a poor first half and was getting frustrated by excellent back row play slowing the ball down.  If anything, the Welsh backline were the ones flirting with the offside and sometimes blatantly so.  There's no doubt, the blitz defence was very well drilled, but they lived on the edge and all too often it would be ignored by Poite.  It wasn't until the 72nd minute that he penalised the Welsh line for being offside.

Second, forward passes.  I should caveat that I haven't had the chance to see it again, but the pass from Jamie Roberts in the lead up to Jonathan Davies being tackled off the ball by de Luca (and the ensuing yellow card) was forward.  At that time, a game changing moment.

Third, Hogg's 'non' try.  I tweeted during the game yesterday that in the NFL, any play that results in a score is automatically reviewed byt the TMO, or American equivalent.  I'm not suggesting that happen in rugby, but surely Poite must have realised he got that wrong and referred it to the TMO for review?  It was clear watching it in real time on the TV that Hogg lost control, yes, but regained it before the ball touched the ground.  It's a huge shame for Hogg who played wonderfully well in the second half and deserved the try on his debut.

Stuart Hogg was denied a perfectly good try on his debut

The Team

There were some really strong performances from Scotland players and a few weak links too.  Here is my run down on their efforts and scores out of 10.

Allan Jacobson  -              7

Solid in the set piece, ‘Chunk’ helped provide a very good platform for a Scottish scrum that didn’t really creak all game.  He also carried well, particularly in the latter stages of the game when Scotland were in the ascendancy.  Even with a line out catch to his name, he had a very fine performance for all 80 minutes.

Ross Ford            -              9

Ford led by example all game.  In a first half where Scotland often struggled to make ground with their phase play up through the middle, Ford was the exception who carried numerous times and always broke the gain line.  In the first half, he was heard having a conversation with referee Romain Poite about the Welsh front row hinging at the scrum.  Sure enough, at the next scrum, the Welsh were penalised for it, and Ford earned his team some respite and a chance to clear their lines.  Typical of his leadership, he ran until he was empty.

Geoff Cross        -              7

As the natural stand-in for the unavailable Euan Murray, Cross had a very similar game to Jacobson on the other side of the scrum.  Solid at the set piece and consistent throughout with his ball carrying, Cross looked very at home, no doubt helped by having his two Edinburgh colleagues at his side.

Richie Gray         -              9

Phenomenal in the loose, Gray must have carried more than any other player outside of the back row.  He dominated in the lineout and was a menace for the Welsh lineout, particularly in the first half where he helped to disrupt 3.

Jim Hamilton     -              9

Big Jim acquainted himself with George North early in the game, putting in a huge hit on the Welsh wonderkid, just to let him know he was in a game.  North never really recovered before going off with an ankle injury.  It also sparked the best quote of commentary from Jonathan Davies: “I think George North is big.  It’s just Hamilton is bigger”.  With him calling the moves at the lineout, he didn’t put a foot wrong and with Gray, caused havoc for the Welsh.  Solid performance in more ways than one.

Al Strokosch       -              7

One third of a back row that excelled, Strokosch was the slightly weaker link.  He tackled hard but felt the consequences, damaging his hand and getting a little fuzzy from one or two hits.  Fully committed, he epitomised the defensive effort form the Scots, particularly in the first half, literally putting his body on the line.

Ross Rennie       -              9

This was an outstanding No.7 performance from Rennie.  With his partner in crime, David Denton, the pair were everywhere and were fantastic at the breakdown, preventing the revered Welsh back row from a single turnover in the first half.  He looked nimble and mobile, carrying well and constantly making himself available to Cusiter, Laidlaw and his pack.  Exactly the kind of openside performance you want to see, and one that will see many around already thinking about Lions selection in 18 months.  First class.

David Denton    -              10

I’m struggling to think of superlatives to describe the 160 minutes of international rugby Denton has played so far in his short, but bright career.  He was everywhere.  The Welsh love to talk about Toby Faletau, but Denton put him in the shade, with epic performances both in defence and attack.  Without knowing the numbers, I would hazard a guess that he was easily the most ball carrying player on the pitch.  In defence, he was immense as he put in hit after hit.  Not much more to say about it really.  Top drawer outing for such a promising player for Scotland.

Chris Cusiter      -              6

Solid in the first half, Cusiter’s game will unfortunately be remembered for the indecision at the kick off to the second half.  That aside, he marshalled the pack well, but could be seen as being a little sluggish in a period when Scotland had the ball for 10-12 phases but were unable to make ground, in fact losing around 15 yards.  His partnership with Laidlaw was good, if unspectacular, but he did feed his willing runners well of first, second and third phase balls.

Greig Laidlaw    -              8

With so much hope and expectation lying on the shoulders of Laidlaw in the run up to the game, he dealt with the pressure very well.  In a first half that was more about defensive attrition than penetrating go forward rugby, he was patient and considered.  His creative abilities came far more to the fore in the final quarter when Scotland took the game by the scruff of the neck having lost three tries early in the second half.  He mixed the point of attack up very well, keeping it tight and spreading the ball when it was on, almost culminating in a try (which should have been given) for debutant Hogg.  Laidlaw was in no mood to let that incident drop the heads of his team, and instigated the next attack, where his scrum half ferreting skills came to fore to touchdown from a yard out.  Very accomplished, and growing into the role more and more.

Max Evans          -              5

Unfortunately, Evans didn’t have much opportunity to show what he could do, particularly in an open game like this one.  The ankle ligament injury he sustained in the first half will hopefully not be too serious and we can see him back soon.

Sean Lamont      -              7

Lamont had a lot more joy than last week at running at the Welsh backline.  Somehow keener to get his hands on the ball, perhaps motivated to square up to equally mountain sized centre Jamie Roberts, he had some useful carries.  His frustration towards the end when brought back for taking a quick penalty was perhaps childish, but clearly reflective of the missed opportunity that Scotland had, and resentment for the opening 20 minutes of the second half.

Nick de Luca       -              5

The score is not based on the fact I was unsure about his initial selection, but really about some of his decision making in the game.  The yellow card is a classic example of that.  Had he been Welsh, Gatland may well have fined him for such a stupid penalty, but as it was it took Scotland down to 14 at a time when they needed to be a full strength during the Welsh purple patch in the second half.  A couple of handling errors didn’t help his cause.  With Stuart Hogg impressing and likely to start in 2 weeks, and provided either Max Evans or Joe Ansbro recover from injuries, I can’t see NDL claiming a starting berth next time out.

Lee Jones            -              6

Not for lack of trying, but Jones struggled to find the space he craved so much to make an impact.  He never really put a foot wrong, but he didn’t quite have the effect he or Scotland were hoping for.

Rory Lamont      -              6

Despite his yellow card, that took Scotland down to 13 men for a 3 minute period, Lamont was solid.  Very good under the high ball all day when at full back or on the wing after Max Evans’ departure, he carried and ran well.  He’s not quite the running force he was a few years ago, and his place is far from secure with Stuart Hogg sniffing around for a starting place.  Hopefully the competition for places inspires a resurgence to form.

Substitutes

Congratulations must go to Stuart Hogg and Ed Kalman on their debuts.  As already mentioned a few times, Hogg was outstanding, particularly in the second half where he created lots from some dynamic running, with one notable break where he took a high ball and returned it with interest, coming off his right foot and leaving Jamie Roberts for dead.  His try should have stood, but his run, coming in off the left hand wing, helped set up the try for Laidlaw.

Al Kellock did well when he entered the fray, and continued Scotland’s success at the lineout.  John Barclay, although a little less mobile than Rennie or Denton, did OK and took over where Strokosch finished, committing himself fully to the cause as he always does.  Duncan Weir didn’t get on to get his first cap, but patience will surely see it happening before long.

Wales v Scotland Preview

Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Date: Sunday, 12 February
Kick-off: 1500 GMT

What a week it has been in Scottish Rugby.  Summed up in a word, you could do worse than 'regrettable'.

Last weekend's game saw Scotland fail to take their chances, losing to an English side that they should have beaten.  Days later, Dan Parks announced his immediate retirement and the fallout has seen many a friend and colleague bestow generous plaudits, as well as the longtime critics congratulate a man with their tails between their legs upon realising the fact that Parks gave much more than he ever took.

That was the last few days.  Scotland now have only a few days to prepare for their clash in Cardiff in what has traditionally been an unpredictable and entertaining fixture with the Welsh.

The memory of 2010 will still be very vivid in many minds, Scottish and Welsh for the way that cam started with Chris Paterson going off after minutes of his 100th cap for Scotland, to Thom Evans being stretchered off after fracturing his spine in a collision with Lee Byrne to the final 7 minutes where Scotland threw it all away, conceding 17 points and the game in one of the most pulsating climaxes to a 6 Nations game in living memory.

Can we expect the same again?  Probably not, but who am I to say. 

Scotland have made only two changes to their starting 15, both forced with Laidlaw coming in for Parks and Geoff Cross stepping in for the absent Euan Murray.  Many thought that the midfield would be re-jigged following a lack of penetration and basic handling mistakes on Saturday, but Robinson has stuck to his guns and believes his choice then is still the right one to take on a formidable Welsh backline.

Aside from Murray's withdrawal (due to his personal beliefs, he doesn't play on Sundays), it is good to see some consistency in the pack selection.  All three members of the back row, Rennie, Strokosch and Calcutta Cup man of the match David Denton looked fresh and mobile and should match their Welsh counterparts toe-to-toe.

As discussed previously in this blog in reaction to the Calcutta Cup clash, the introdution of Laidlaw for his first start for Scotland should lead to some better distribution through the hands and a bit more penetration from the likes of Sean Lamont.  He doesn't have the tactical kicking prowess of Dan Parks, something that Scotland have used well away from Murrayfield in the past, but Laidlaw has the ability to help Scotland play more adventurously and maybe even lead to some tries.

David Denton will look to add to his

excellent display against the English

The Welsh will be in fine spirits following their late comeback victory over the Irish at the Aviva.  With that away win and 3 home games this year, they are all of a sudden turning into tournament favourites in many eyes.

The outstanding feature of their win on Sunday was the variety and the combination of creativity and brute power in the backline, typified by George North who bowled over Gordon D'Arcy as if he wasn't there only to offload out the back door to Jonathan Davies who took his second try of the game.

There will be some interesting match-ups in Cardiff, some fair, some not so fair.  Lee Jones will have his hands very full in his second cap with George North to cover.  Sean Lamont and Jamie Roberts are specifically picked to batter holes in the defence and make yards and it'll be fascinating to see David Denton and Toby Faletau scrapping it out at the breakdown.

As I have mentioned before, only the very optimistic will see the Scots pick up a win on Sunday, but given the way they lost against England, I think most Scots fans will be looking for some execution and a ruthless streak in their play that will hopefully reap some points.

It should be a great match with all the fireworks and passion that is so associated with both countries.  I can't wait.

Wales:

15. L Halfpenny, 14. A Cuthbert, 13. J Davies, 12. J Roberts, 11. G North, 10. R Priestland , 9. M Phillips, 1. G Jenkins, 2. H Bennett, 3. A Jones, 4. R Jones, 5. I Evans, 6. D Lydiate, 7. S Warburton, 8. T Faletau

Bench: 16. K Owens, 17. P James, 18. L Reed, 19. A Powell, 20. L Williams, 21. J Hook, 22. S Williams

Scotland:

15. R Lamont, 14. L Jones, 13. N De Luca, 12. S Lamont, 11. M Evans, 10. G Laidlaw, 9. C Cusiter, 1. A Jacobsen, 2. R Ford (c), 3. G Cross, 4. R Gray, 5. J Hamilton, 6. A Strokosch, 7. R Rennie, 8. D Denton

Bench: 16. S Lawson, 17. E Kalman, 18. A Kellock, 19. J Barclay, 20. M Blair, 21. D Weir, 22. S Hogg

France vs Ireland Preview

Perhaps the most intriguing game of this weekends RBS 6 Nations will be when France host Ireland on Saturday.  Both teams have something to prove following the first round of results.

As seems to be the way this year, each team selection seems to be that bit more based on current form rather than old favourites, perhaps symptomatic of squad evolution following World Cups.  The French are no exception as they produced a solid enough display against the Italians to see out a 30-12 victory at the Stade de France.  The new look backline with the introduction of Wesley Fofana at centre and the return of the in form Julien Malzieu on the wing looked to be a settled unit which certainly took their chances when they presented themselves.

However, I wouldn't say that the French were at their brilliant best.  If anything over the last few years, particularly under Marc Lievremont, the French became less synonomous with the famous flair and more with how they can grind out results, and that's when they win.  The French lost on more occasions than they'd like to remember under Lievremont, including 3 games at the 2011 RWC and a trouncing at home to Australia.  Saturday's victory was much along the same lines - flashes of brilliance but still very much a workmanlike overall performance. 

Saint-Andre won't mind.  He was a player who thrived on capitalising on the great setup play created by having a hard working and heavy pack, much like the one he controls now.  I dare say that the French fans will be looking for a slight return to the days of free flowing rugby that saw their team win numerous Grand Slams early on in the 6 Nations.

Saint-Andre has tinkered slightly, most notably by bringing in the bigger Imanol Harinordiquy for Julien Bonnaire at openside, and starting with Morgan Parra in place of the injured Dmitri Yachvili (back).

Keith Earls will start for Ireland after missing

out against Wales for personal reasons

Saturday sees the visit of the Irish who will be hurting after losing at home to the Welsh, after being up by a score and a man with 10 minutes left in the game.  Winning in Dublin isn't easy, and it's a place the Irish hate to lose, so they will have everything to prove against the French on their own patch.

Perhaps the pressure will be off the Irish a little, as it is for any team playing away from home.  The Stade de France is an intimidating atmosphere when the French have the wind at their backs, but equally baron when the opposition get the upper hand.  Over the years, it has proved to be as much of a distraction to the French when they are losing than it is for the visitors when they are.

I think this will be as tight a game as the Welsh game was for the Irish, and I can't see who will win it.  The French haven't done enough in the first round to convince me that they can fulfil my prediction of winning the tournamnet.  Then again, it was Saint-Andre's first game at the helm, and a win is a win.  The Irish will be supremely motivated to put Sunday's result behind them and probably pleased that they only have 6 days to get out there and show their fans what they are all about.

Let's remember, at times, the Irish played very well against Wales and have the ability to beat anyone on their day.

It should be a cracking match, and I'm looking forward to it with relish.

France:

15. M Medard, 14. V Clerc, 13. A Rougerie, 12. W Fofana, 11. J Malzieu, 10. F Trinh-Duc, 9. M Parra, 1. JB Poux, 2. D Szarzewski, 3. N Mas, 4. P Pape, 5. Y Maestri, 6. T Dusautoir (c), 7. I Harinordoquy, 8. L Picamoles

Bench: 16. W Servat, 17. V Debaty, 18. L Nallet, 19. J Bonnaire, 20. J Dupuy, 21. L Beauxis, 22. M Mermoz.

Ireland:

15. R Kearney, 14. T Bowe, 13. K Earls, 12. G D’Arcy, 11. A Trimble, 10. J Sexton, 9. C Murray, 1. C Healy, 2. R Best, 3. M Ross, 4. D O’Callaghan, 5. P O’Connell (c), 6. S Ferris, 7. S O’Brien, 8. J Heaslip

Bench: 16. S Cronin, 17. T Court, 18. D Ryan, 19. P O’Mahony, 20. E Reddan, 21. R O’Gara, 22. F McFadden

Scotland Team For Wales Clash

Following a turbulent few days for Scottish Rugby, starting with the Calcutta Cup loss to England at Murrayfield and seeing the announcement yesterday of Dan Parks' retirement, Andy Robinson has announced the team he sees can get the Scots back on track and to winning ways.

Laidlaw gets his first start by filling the vacant 10 spot left by Parks and partners Chris Cusiter at scrum half in the pivotal roles.

The full team:

15. R Lamont
14. Jones
13. De Luca
12. S Lamont
11. Evans
10. Laidlaw
9. Cusiter
1. Jacobsen
2. Ford (c)
3. Cross
4. Gray
5. Hamilton
6. Strokosch
7. Rennie
8. Denton

Bench: S Lawson, Kalman, Kellock, Barclay, Blair, Weir & Hogg

Glasgow's Sturat Hogg earns a place on the bench and

could get his debut for Scotland

I suspect there isn't as much change here to what many predicted.  Many thought (myself included) that Nick de Luca may have been dropped, but he holds on to his centre spot with Sean Lamont.

Ross Rennie and David Denton keep there places in the back row after very good performances against the English and Saturday's debutant Lee Jones holds on to his place on the right wing.

The big changes are on the bench where superb performances for Duncan Weir, Ed Kalman and Stuart Hogg in last weeks 35-0 victory over the Saxons for Scotland A have earnt them potential debuts against Wales.

With both Lamonts and Evans able to play in the centre or on the wing, there is plenty of scope for re-jigging the team by introducing Stuart Hogg who can play centre or full-back.

Dan Parks Retires From International Rugby

This afternoon, Dan Parks announced his retirement from international rugby. 

The Australian born Scot won 67 caps for Scotland, scoring 266 points including 17 drop goals.  He also notched up countless bottles of champagne for man of the match performances, including 5 in 7 games in 2010 where he single handedly resurrected Scotland's 6 Nations campaign (capping it off with a fantastic penalty kick to beat Ireland at Croke Park) and in his penultimate match against England in the 2011 RWC.

In a statement issued through www.scotlandrugbyteam.org, he said “I was thinking about it but the first game of the Six Nations was against England, the auld enemy, Jacko (Ruaridh Jackson) was injured and being able to play against England was huge for me as there was a sense of unfinished business.

“On reflection after the game, after talking it over with my family, girlfriend and close friends I’ve come to the decision that now is the right time to retire from the international game.

“There are some really talented guys coming through – Jacko (Ruaridh Jackson), Greig (Laidlaw) and Duncan (Weir) – and although I’m sad to be finishing my international career I have some fantastic memories of playing for Scotland and what that has meant to me.

“I’ve no regrets at what has been an amazing career for me. I’ve got my favourite moments for Scotland – uppermost being the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

“That was my first World Cup, something that as a youngster you would always aspire to play in, and it was just such a happy, exciting, positive time. It was also where I met my girl-friend, Laetitia.

“Other memorable moments have been the two wins against England at home (2006 and 2008), the win against South Africa here at Murrayfield, the two wins in Argentina in 2010 and one in 2008 and the Ireland game in 2010 which was a great occasion.

“I’ve made some incredible friends here in Scotland and in the Scotland team and a lot of those friendships were forged in Glasgow.

“I also want to thank the loyal fans of the Scotland team. It’s been a rocky road for me at times but at the end I’ve always given 100 per cent to play at my best and succeed for Scotland.

“This is not the end of me as a rugby player. My international career is over but I want to keep playing club rugby. I always enjoyed my time in Glasgow. It’s one of great cities I’ve visited, so who knows what will happen in the future.”

Dan Parks playing his final game for Scotland

Despite the love/hate relationship many Scotland fans have had with Parks over the years, there is no doubt he has proved and provided so much for his adoptive nation, a career both he and we should be very proud of.

Messages of support have been flooding in over the social networks for  a true servant to Scottish Rugby, and one that will not be forgotten.

It is a shame that his career has ended so abruptly, but as he states above, he wanted to be available for the Scottish cause and that epitomises his attitude to both rugby and playing for Scotland. 

As a Glasgow Warriors fan, I was a big fan of his during his time at the club.  As the first player to score over 1,000 points in the league, he demonstrated his reliability and his consistency that earnt him his 67 Scotland caps.

I stated on this blog yesterday that I thought he may well have played his last game for Scotland, but I honestly didn't see it happening this way.  However, I agree with his own thoughts that the natural time to step aside to new blood had come.

Congratulations on a fine career.  His contribution will not be forgotten.

Rank Rotten

The latest revised world rankings were released by the IRB yesterday and it makes grim reading for Scotland.

Following the weekends 6-13 loss in the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield, the Scots are now placed 11th, behind Tonga and Samoa.

What is significant about this is the impact rankings have this year on the pool selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Those pools will be based on the rankings as they stand at the end of this years Autumn Internationals. Unless Scotland can get back into the top 8 in the world, they will again face being in the third pot and facing a team in the top 4 and a second team placed 5th to 8th.

It's beyond my comprehension as to why the draw for the RWC is made so early. Scotland fans will be familiar with the frustration after the last World Cup where their team were drawn with England (pool 2) and Argentina (pool 1). The Scots then won a test series in Argentina, promoting them to 7th in the world.

That aside, the rules are what they are, and so it leaves Scotland 10 matches between now and the end of November to make things right. The fixtures aren't easy, starting with an in form Wales in Cardiff on Sunday:

Wales (A), France (H), Ireland (A), Italy (A), Australia (A), Fiji (A), Samoa (A), New Zealand (H), South Africa (H) and Tonga (H).

The odds are stacked against Scotland. They need to aim for at least 3 wins in the remaining 6 Nations, at least 2 in the summer tour and 2 in the autumn.

A bonus for Scotland before the summer tour will be the arrival of Scott Johnson into the coaching setup (assuming we still have a head coach in June) and the availability of Dutch born Tim Visser for Scotland selection having gained national citizenship. Visser is the highest try scorer in the RaboDirect Pro12 league, and could be the perfect tonic for the try shy Scots.

Can Tim Visser help to turn

Scotland's fortunes?

Whatever happens, Scotland have left an awful lot to do to remedy the situation they find themselves in - their worst world ranking position since they were introduced.

Scotland 6-13 England

It was generally recognised before a ball was even kicked this weekend that Scotland had more than enough in their team to dispatch England on their home turf.  The Scot’s went in as favourites, not a tag that sits well with Scotland fans, particularly in a Calcutta Cup game. 

There were only two things that could have happened to see the expected result reversed.  Firstly, England would play better than anyone realistically expected to outplay and even outmuscle the Scots.  The second scenario, and something that happens all too often in the eyes of Scotland fans: Scotland shoot themselves in the foot and contribute to their own downfall.

The first option didn’t happen.  England looked toothless at times and struggled against the phase play that the Scot’s strung together.  That said, they were never that uncomfortable either as the Scot’s huffed and puffed a lot, but never made significant yardage.

Following the 13-6 result, some painful truths became very apparent, if they hadn’t already before. 1 – Scotland struggle to break the gain line consistently and when they do, they can rarely capitalise on the territorial gain.  2 – Scotland have a near complete inability to score tries in internationals.  The situation is now at a point where head coach Andy Robinson has been making noises about walking away if there isn’t clear improvement.
Let’s look at the evidence. 

I’ll start by saying that hindsight is a wonderful thing, but even before his performance on Saturday, it was clear to many that the inclusion of the relatively ageing Dan Parks in the team following less than convincing displays in the World Cup was a backwards move.  Aside from the mistake that led to the English try (not the charged down kick so much, but the decision to run the ball from the 22 in the first place), Parks sits so incredibly deep when he plays that it makes it very hard even for the big men like Sean Lamont to make ground from first phase ball.  Compare that to Friday’s performance by Duncan Weir for Scotland A who played much flatter and could expose gaps in the defence quicker, ultimately leading to a great try in that game.  The introduction of Laidlaw and Blair in the second half on Saturday improved the Scots considerably.  Blair’s delivery was crisp and Laidlaw was flat and unafraid to either take on a defender himself or play through the hands.  The pair brought revived endeavour and almost a second half comeback.

Has Dan Parks played his last game for Scotland?

Scotland’s best breaks (Rennie and Gray) came with much flatter ball, with Gray in particular receiving the ball almost on the gain line with momentum, allowing him to break the tackle and make the yards.  I dare say that I think Dan Parks may well have played his last test match for Scotland.  Following his individual performance, the team result and the talent that he has competing for the 10 jersey, I just can’t see him starting again.

So what about the tries, or lack of them?

It could be argued that Scotland were unlucky not to score at least one on Saturday.  The right decision was made by the video ref in my opinion, I think it would have been a soft try.  There was a lot of talk from the studio pundits about the question that was asked by the referee to the video referee.  “Is it a try, yes or no?” was what he asked.  Some of the experts thought he should have asked “Is there any reason why I cannot award the try?”.  I think this particular point is a little ridiculous.  The referee was behind the play, looking at Laidlaw’s backside when the ball was/wasn’t grounded.  How could he possibly have thought it was a try and therefore asked the second question.  I believe he was correct in his enquiry.

I digress.  The problem with Scotland’s inability to score tries is now deep rooted in the team psyche.  It’s a problem that has now gone on for years and will be all too apparent to some of the more experienced players, perhaps adding an extra psychological pressure on them before and during games.  The introduction of fresh exciting faces like Lee Jones is an opportunity to get someone who has been scoring at will for his club to convert that success on the bigger stage.  Even that hasn’t worked, or at least it didn’t this weekend.  Max Evans and Lee Jones are great finishers, but often they are either left with too much to do, too deep or they never get the ball at all.  Our midfield isn’t creative enough to develop line breaks and set these wingers up to do what they do best.  Compare that to George North, Tommy Bowe or Julien Malzieu who have the physical presence and the skills to make things happen out wide.  Alternatively, look at Chris Ashton.  For all the things I don’t like about him, he does at least look for work by playing off the shoulder and coming into midfield so often. Scotland has neither of these options at the moment.

Scotland have an opportunity to put right the wrongs of Saturday, but it’s not going to be easy - next week they travel to Cardiff.  Wales demonstrated exactly what it takes to score tries against Ireland with the likes of Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts and the electric George North consistently punching through the Irish backline, showing the Scots how it’s done.

The fixture two years ago threw up a thriller, where Scotland (again) threw the game away in a ridiculous final 7 minute spell where Wales scored 17 points to claim a dramatic victory.  Robinson and his men will have to work hard this week and also take some risks.  His selection needs to be positive to at least give the Scotland faithful an idea of where their team is headed.  Only the very optimistic will forecast a Scottish victory next Sunday, but Scotland need to take the game to Wales and they need to score tries.