Rugby Club Issue 77 | Page 28

Natwest 6 Nations Scotland

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 .
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 .
www . rugbyclubmag . com 15