Natwest 6 Nations
Scotland
Natwest 6 Nations
Scotland
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NatWest 6 Nations
Scotland
For Scotland, this year’s tournament couldn’t have gotten off to a
much worse start than it did. However, it would be fair to say that
things have picked up a little since then.
A major part of Scotland’s
improvement in recent years
has been their commitment to
attacking rugby, however they got
the balance wrong against Wales
and were thumped as a result. For
any developing team there are
going to be set backs on the way
and that game certainly was one.
With Laidlaw returning to the side
at scrum-half, they found enough
to overcome the French in their
next fixture, successfully managing
a tight game to take the victory
32-26. Still though, the feeling
was that this Scotland side, whilst
having improved dramatically was
yet to establish themselves as a
serious contender.
That was about to change as a
terrific performance saw them
overcome England in convincing
fashion by 25-13. It was a
fantastic victory and much
has rightly been made of
it being the first win
against England for
a number of
years.
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This was not a performance of
plucky underdogs overcoming the
odds, Scotland were the better side
and outplayed their opponents.
That is the thing with this Scottish
side, they have the potential to
continue to get better and be
challenging for major honours.
Next up is a huge test for them
away to Ireland but a good
display and victory would be an
even bigger statement than the one
made against England. It would
also give them a great chance of
winning the 6 Nations title which
would be a fitting way to highlight
the progress they’ve made.
Gregor Townsend only experienced
victory once in ten attempts as
a player but is now one for one
as head coach. Speaking after
the match he said, “It’s a great
feeling. We knew how important
this week was going to be, what
it meant to our supporters and the
players played with real pride.
“There was also real intensity, and
great accuracy - especially in the
first half. We forced mistakes. We
discussed opportunities we felt we
could create and it was pleasing
the way we took them.
Looking ahead to Dublin, he went
on to say, “Ireland; they’re pretty
good. We need to improve away
from home. We’ve done well here
at Murrayfield but the job now
is to put in a good performance
away from home.”
It is an exciting time for everyone
involved with Scottish Rugby at
the moment and they clearly have
a good team in place. The next
question for them will be whether
they are happy as a good side,
picking up some big victories or
whether the hunger is there to go
on and become one of the best
teams around.
If last Saturday was anything to
go by then Scottish fans should be
looking forwards to plenty more
memorable games of rugby. It is
great to see them back as a major
competitor in the tournament,
particularly with the progressive
style of rugby they are producing.
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