Send them homewards: Rory Hamilton is hoping Jeremy Guscott goes home with his head in his hands again. Pic: ©STV
It really was not supposed to be like this. Following such a promising autumn, Scottish rugby was on a high. But after the euphoria of victory over Australia, coming back down to earth has been more like a crash than a bump. In the opening Six Nations fixture against France, Scotland didn’t turn up as an attacking force. In Cardiff, the rugby community could celebrate as a whole and revel in one of the finest spectacles the game has ever produced, while the Scots were left weeping in the corner wondering what could have, what should have been.
Then there was Rome. Scotland were back to the static, frustrating, uninspiring performance of old that could have seen them play for 80 days, let alone 80 minutes, without scoring a try. And so to the big one. I’m not part of the “as long as we beat England” clan. I think that does a disservice to our ambition and ability, but I would certainly take it now.
The fixture against the Auld Enemy has evoked some of my most vivid sporting memories. I think I was too young to fully appreciate the 1990 Grand Slam – although subsequent, regular viewings of the video make it feel like I could say “I was there”. But I certainly still feel the disbelief and pain of Gavin Hastings’ missed penalty and the 9-6 defeat at Murrayfield in the World Cup a year later.
England made Scotland pay for the Grand Slam throughout the 90s until Duncan Hodge tore up the form book, delivering a performance full of passion, to deny England the 2000 Grand Slam in the torrential Murrayfield rain. The biggest cheers of that day certainly came when the cameras cut back to the studio to reveal Alan Tait dancing with delight while Jerry Guscott sat head-in-hands as the nightmare of 1990 came back to haunt him.
Since that day, there have been some crushing defeats handed out by the English but Scotland have a developed a knack for prevailing in these games. England have not won in Edinburgh since 2004 and have seemed complacent on occasions, only to be caught in the headlights by a combination of Chris Paterson’s deadly accurate boot, heroic efforts by the pack and a cauldron of noise from the Murrayfield faithful.
There is a worry, however, that Scotland have shown their hand. England now know, or certainly should know, what to expect from their northern neighbours – an up and at ‘em, in your face, hostile welcoming that hopefully sends them homeward to think again.
Andy Robinson has felt the deep hurt that defeat at Murrayfield provides. His Grand Slam chasing England team travelled north in 2006 only to be sent back with their tails between their legs. Everyone would love to know what will be going through the Scotland head coach’s mind come quarter to five on Saturday.
Andy Robinson would love nothing more than to record a victory over his former employers. He won’t be able to play the Auld Enemy card to rally his troops. There won’t be a blood-boiling, nerve tingling Telfer-esque speech. Robinson’s battle is more personal but that will not cloud his judgement. He is a rugby man, a real professional who will set his team out in the manner he believes can beat the 15 men in front of them.
There can be very few complaints about the performances of the Scottish pack in the championship so far. The back row has been immense, the lineout almost flawless - from 32 lineouts they have only lost the ball twice and have stolen possession on nine occasions from the opposition throw - and the scrum provides a stable platform for the backs to run. All the statistics in Rome suggested Scotland should have won the game.
With such good, quick ball being produced, not to score a try on the day was criminal. The performance was summed up when Dan Parks opted for a drop goal from 10 metres out instead of attempting to run in a try. Parks had another excellent game at fly-half but to fail to put his backline in for a try, when they had the ball in the Italian 22 on no less than 22 occasions, would suggest to me that his man of the match award was a little generous.
For Saturday, the backs have been reshuffled to include Nick De Luca. The Edinburgh centre is an excellent runner in the loose and a fantastic reader of the game. I would also have included him but not in the manner that Robinson has. Graeme Morrison is a cracking battering ram and marshals the defence well but is one dimensional in attack and I think that led to many of the problems two weeks ago. My move would have been to partner Max Evans and Nick De Luca in the centre and to bring Morrison off the bench as an impact player, to disrupt the dangers of Riki Flutey and Mathew Tait.
The key battle will be at the breakdown. Both teams have exceptional back rows who fight tooth-and-nail to get their hands on the ball. If Wilkinson finds the form that made him the best player in the world, England will win, but we haven’t seen it for a while from the England number 10. You still have to respect his ability and I would far rather the Toby Flood fan club had got their way in pressurising Martin Johnson into selecting the Leicester playmaker.
I’m not expecting a classic in terms of flowing rugby but a win for both teams is vital so expect sparks to fly, sweat to pour, cuts to bleed and hopefully by the end of it all, Guscott’s head will be firmly in his hands once more!
Join Rory Hamilton from 4pm on Saturday March 13 for live text commentary of Scotland versus England direct from Murrayfield. Kick-off is at 5pm.
