Andy Robinson, the Scotland rugby coach, welcomed his side’s comfortable victory over Fiji, saying he was “very, very satisfied” with his side’s performance.
Chiding the assembled rugby hacks at the post-match press conference for looking a bit gloomy after a game which had only occasionally sparked into life, he said “We should be saying ‘Well done’ they performed well. We should have smiles on our faces. We should enjoy the moment and enjoy the win”
Beating a team above Scotland in the international rankings is indeed a rare treat for a Scotland coach. For Robinson, in his very first game in charge, it was a dream start, especially as the way the team played had been so clearly marked out by the coach.
“The first 35 minutes we were in complete control” he said. “If we had scored when Morrison was through [the try was ruled offside] we could have run away with it.
“I’m really, really pleased with the players’ attitude and with Chris Cusiter’s leadership this week. It was a tough test match.”
And he singled out debutant Alex Grove, who made a solid start as outside centre. “You’ve got to look at Alex and say well done to him. He did very well.”
But he added a note of caution about the sterner test that Scotland will face against Australia next week. “All of us have to improve by 15% for next week, players and coaches, including me.”
“It’s speed on the ball we have to work on”, he said. “You’re always looking for pace. Our first phase options were good, there was pace there. We’ve got to get pace in the second and third phase We were just a little bit hesitant going into the ruck or getting offloads.”
The Fijian coaches, including New Zealander Mike Brewer who was Scotland; forwards coach until the end of last season, also warned that Scotland would have to raise their game against Australia. “Well, they won” was Brewer’s grudging reaction when asked about Scotland’s performance. But he later acknowledged that they had kept to their game plan well and singled out tight head prop Moray Low, who was named Man of the Match, as a key performer and much improved player. “He’s come on immensely”, he said.
