SCOTLAND
SIX NATIONS
Scotland Six Nations
S
cotland came into the Six
Nations with plenty of optimism
after some promising displays
in the Autumn internationals. They
produced decent performances against
France and Wales which could have been
turned into victories with a better level of
game management. Disaster then struck
when they were humbled by Italy and
they never really recovered from this set
back in their remaining two fixtures.
With five defeats out of five it is easy to
criticise the team and their performances
were below par in a number of their
games. However the change in style that
they are looking to implement was always
going to take time and it would be naïve
to think that they would be an instant
success.
The quest to give the team a higher ceiling
with a more open game will also see their
consistency levels drop and they were not
exactly setting the world alight in the first
place. They would have wanted to pick
up victories but aside from the Italy game
they pretty much achieved what would
have been expected.
With the World Cup just around the
corner it is difficult to be patient but
Scotland’s process may take years rather
than months. Any success in the meantime
should be viewed as part of the learning
process as they look to build a side capable
of winning big matches regularly.
Speaking after the defeat to Ireland,
Head Coach Vern Cotter said, “Our
mind-set has got to be about building
games and not to end up playing catch-up
rugby. We’ve got to take silly errors out of
our game. They were brought home with
brutal clarity today. Today we saw one
team that has built and one trying to build
but isn’t quite there yet.
“We need to have a mind-set shift moving
forward, while continuing to work hard
so we are competitive throughout. There
were positives out there but there were
too many unforced errors and we failed
to apply any sustained pressure, which is
key. There is talent here, but we need to
play for longer periods and start believing
in ourselves.
“It
has
been
a
disappointing
Championship and one we have to reflect
on. It was always going to be tough losing
those first two games so closely, and we
need to learn that if you don’t get early
momentum in this competition then other
teams do and it is difficult to turn that
around.”
Their World Cup Group gives Scotland a
terrific chance of making the last 8 and this
is probably the best that they can hope for
at the moment. Over the past year, 3 or 4
players have emerged with real potential
and if they are able to continue to develop
and with the breakthrough of a couple
more talented youngsters they could have
a nucleus of a fantastic side.
It’s going to take time for Scotland to
build the side that they want but their
more expansive game should ensure that
their supporters can look forwards to
plenty of entertainment over the coming
years. Murrayfield is sure to be rocking.
www.sportip.biz
95