RWC Build-Up: The Major Madness
Before every major event we get caught up in the madness of predictions. We follow speculation as if it were Gospel. We force ourselves to show blind faith, regardless of what common sense has been telling us for 3 years out of 4. Suddenly people at the office you rarely speak to are talking to […]
RWC Build-Up: Our Back-Three, According To The Best
Let me set the scene for you: Scotland play 2 EMC Tests with 6 back-three options. They play one game against Ireland with S. Lamont, Paterson and Walker. Then they play against Italy with R. Lamont, Evans and Danielli. Then they take out Walker and send the rest off to New Zealand. My question for […]
RWC Build-Up: The Squad
Alan Dymock runs the rule over the Scotland World Cup squad to travel to New Zealand.
RWC Build-Up: Al For One, One For All
With rugby, as with all competitive sport, you see players have to deal with setbacks. Sometimes these setbacks can define a player’s career. Sometimes, just sometimes though, a player can define his career by using those setbacks as opportunities. The key is setting goals and being realistic about what you can, and importantly, need to […]
RWC Build-Up: Multiple Emotions But A Single Focus
As I entered Scotland’s World Cup base yesterday in St. Andrews I felt a strange sort of atmosphere. A tension.
RWC Build-Up: A Step Into The Unknown
When the Scotland team to face Italy was announced Andy Robinson said “Italy will prove ideal opponents ahead of our opening Rugby World Cup matches against Romania and Georgia.” For most of us we will have to take Robinson at his word. Who really knows much about Romania and Georgia?
RWC Build-Up: Team for Italy, Omissions For New Zealand
Just when I thought I had figured out the Axis of Anticipated that is Robinson and Townsend they go and mix things up! Here is the Scotland team to face the Italians at Murrayfield on Saturday, 5pm: 15 Rory Lamont (Toulon) 24 caps 14 Max Evans (Castres) 19 caps 13 Nick De Luca (Edinburgh) 25 […]
RWC Build-Up: Cometh The Hour, Cometh The Men
Despite the Scottish cessation of activity at the weekend there was still plenty of rugby being played. We saw Australia show how antiquated South Africa’s rugby may have become in just a few short years. We saw Wales expose England’s lack of skills throughout an entire XV. We saw the French recline and accept gifts from Ireland. […]
RWC Build-Up: Longing For Los Pumas
I don’t think I would like to play cards with Andy Robinson. Sure, when we see the glass box on TV, filled with what looks like all the shiny-headed men in Scottish rugby, it always appears like Robinson is losing the plot. Probably about a breakdown. Behind the eyes, though, I see cool calculation. I […]
RWC Build-Up: Our Neighbours Prepare
Some things in life are hard to predict. Insurance was invented because of this. Sports gambling is so exciting because of this. Being French is only comprehensible when you accept this and throw conventional thinking out of the window. Indeed nothing is harder to predict than French rugby. So when I decided I was going […]
RWC Build-Up: Looking At The Game, And Only The Game
At the moment I am beset on all sides with the reality, the spin coming out of Murrayfield and probably some early onset moaning from supposed experts. I have purposely not read any newspapers this morning, but I have watched the game again, re-read some stuff that went out live during the game and have […]
RWC Build-up: Selecting The ‘Home’ Nations
When I was much younger I remember being excited by watching the Scotland team play with its ‘exotic’ stars. I knew very little about the politics or any assumed insult to purists. All I knew was that the ‘Kilted Kiwis’ had a cool nickname and they all seemed to be that little bit sui generis.
RWC Build-Up: Expectations and Omens
The first time Scotland played against Romania in a Rugby World Cup we won 55-28. That day John Jeffrey scored a hattrick and Gavin Hastings finished with 2 tries, 8 conversions and 1 penalty.