Scotland through the eyes of a Scot
"Scotland are a frustrating side to watch, Those were the words of the old man sitting on a park bench watching some youngsters train.
I was in Scotland visiting relatives when I stumbled across the local side's pre-season training. As I sat down to watch I was joined a few minutes later by the Robert, a retired civil servant with a passion for rugby and single malt whiskey. He spoke about his love for the game and how the heart and soul of Scottish rugby had been ripped out by professionalism. A Borders man, he had seen the SRU found and then dismantle a professional side in his region going against the traditional town sides.
"The Borders never really captured our imagination. To us the established club sides like Melrose, Hawick and Peebles are the heart of rugby here and that's who we follow to this day, The disbandment of the new Borders side in 2007 has now seen the top players leaving the region at an early age to join the professional sides in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Whether these professional sides work or not is another question and one that divides the Scottish public. It is true that attendances are lower than the SRU would like and that the hardcore supporters like Robert continue to follow semi-professional sides over Glasgow and Edinburgh. But the benefits of having just two sides are beginning to be seen on the pitch. Performances in the now RaboDirect Pro 12 have improved during previous seasons and the odd result is gained in European competition. Having such a high concentration of international players is working on the field, both for the sides and the national team as well. This is something that Robert does agree with. "It does benefit the national side with so many players playing together week in, week out,
Over half of the players in the preliminary World Cup squad play for either Edinburgh or Glasgow, with the others playing for a smattering of sides across England, France and Wales. Under Andy Robinson the squad seems to be more close knit than previous years with positive vibes coming from every press conference. There is a renewed confidence within the squad that we have seen translated onto the pitch. "With each year comes renewed optimisn, commented a local in a Highland pub "But now there seems to be the foundations to push that through,
Ignoring this year's Six Nations, which everyone will agree saw Scotland under-perform, Scotland have pulled off some fantastic results since Robinson took charge. They have beaten both Australia and South Africa at Murrayfield. Last summer they travelled to Argentina and came away from a series victory “ a feat that they had never before achieved. What is more pleasing about these results is the manner of the victory. "We haven't got the players like the Southern Hemisphere sides, but we have our strengths, said Robert "We've ground out victories recently [against the Wallabies and South Africa] by playing our own game. We've taken the points when they're there and not panicked if we've gone behind,
"We now have a bit of nouse to close games out and to dominate where we can, added another local in Granton. It is true Scotland have learnt to dominate games when needed, a prime example being the series in Argentina, and play off mistakes made by others. They do have creativity behind the scrum with the likes of Max Evans, but there is an emphasis on players who can not only make breaks but are also strong in defence, Sean Lamont being a perfect example. Chris Patterson is the most consistent goal kicker in World Rugby and proved during the Six Nations that he is as good a defensive full back as there is at the moment. Up front Richie Grey has stood out in recent months and while the pack as a whole may not be World beaters they are consistent. They get the hard work done to give a platform or more importantly win those all important penalties that provide the backbone to a Scottish scoreline.
While Scotland may not win the World Cup, they have transformed themselves into a side that plays to its strengths. A side that can cause upsets and one that the nation can be proud of. In the words of Robert "They are frustrating, one week they'll month the Boks and the next they'll struggle in the 6 Nations. Still what they've got is spirit and a desire to play in the jersey “ that's all I ask,
