Hopefully you’ll be reading this and reflecting on a quality performance that saw Scotland overturn France at Murrayfield…
Scottish Rugby has been in a strong position for several years. Arguably it has some of the world’s best players with the likes of Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell picking holes in defences as well as Hamish Watson and Jonny Gray leading an often explosive Vanguard.
However, Scotland’s greatest weakness is their ability to embrace their strength and fully assert dominance in all games they play. They always play to the level of their opponent. Over the past season there’s a historic win in Twickenham, an emphatic victory in Paris and an awesome day at Murrayfield toppling Australia (a game I was very lucky to be at). The most recent game away to Wales was uninspiring, unimaginative and huge step back given the battering Wales received from Ireland the week before.
Scotland need to start playing like the team they can grow into, and the team that they have shown glimpses of. There’s only so many times the ‘pool of death card’ at the Paris World Cup can be played; to progress through the tournament Scotland have to string together a series of wall orchestrated wins build around the talent on the roster.
Wins now and then in the Six Nations are fine, but nothing more than that. This team and the SRU are so much better than that. If this team is to perform in Paris it starts with (hopefully) victory over France. Otherwise, it’s just same old Scotland- unable to move on from the past and create a new breed of Scottish Rugby.
I’m passionate about this team and about Scottish Rugby. I firmly believe they can achieve great things. However, despite the ‘pool of death’, if this team cannot get out of the group stage, this will have been a huge failure and it will be letting down all those who have pulled on the jersey.
But hey, we’ve got Scottish hope on our side, what can possibly go wrong…
