THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS

Scottish rugby's latest annus horribilis ends with reasons for cheer
ALLAN MASSIE
THE year 2005 hasn't been one which many Scottish rugby fans will recall with nostalgic pleasure in time to come. Worse, it's been a year when many of the fans seem to have disappeared, their patience and their purse tried too long. Getting them back will not be easy, and it won't be achieved by clever or imaginative marketing, though that doubtless has a part to play. It's cleverness and imagination leading to success on the field that will do the trick - if, that is, the trick is to be done.

There are some promising signs however. A year that began in acrimony - a consequence of the coup staged by the old SRU committee which dislodged the chairman of the executive board and his chief executive - has ended with at least a semblance of unity, a new structure governing the game and reason to hope that those now in charge are capable of setting the union on a new and more prosperous course.


Scotland played nine internationals in the year, winning three and losing six. That is not a disgraceful record, but it's nothing to boast of either, the three victories being gained at the expense of Italy, Romania, and Samoa.

It says something about the state of our game that there was no television coverage of the Romanian match in Bucharest. But then rugby followers have a genuine grievance against BBC Scotland, STV, Grampian and Border TV, all seemingly happy to neglect the sport.

An unsuccessful Six Nations was followed by a meagre representation in the Lions tour party, with only Gordon Bulloch, Chris Cusiter and Simon Taylor named in Clive Woodward's original squad. Taylor suffered yet another injury and, though Jason White joined the tour near its end, only Bulloch of the Scots made even a brief appearance as a substitute in the Tests. Some Scots were unlucky not to go: Chris Paterson, Mike Blair, Sean Lamont and Ally Hogg. All lost out because of Woodward's obstinate belief that ageing English World Cup heroes could do the job. They couldn't.

Not surprisingly, a fair number of us were happy to see the All Blacks triumph - and indeed any lover of the game couldn't fail to be delighted by the quality of New Zealand's play, most of all in the second Test. After the Lions beat Otago 30-19, Woodward told us "something special is going to happen". He was dead right: the All Blacks really were special, and Daniel Carter at fly-half was in the Barry John class.

For Scotland, there were signs of real improvement in the autumn, though even a gallant performance against what was something less than the New Zealand first XV couldn't conceal just how far we have fallen behind. That sad truth has been driven home in the last month by the Heineken Cup results. Once again, there will be no Scots side in the quarter-finals, though Edinburgh have reason to bewail the malign fate that saw them yet again in the same pool as Toulouse, whom they came very close to beating at Murrayfield.

Domestically, the game has been dominated by Glasgow Hawks. But at the top level, the domestic club game needs a boost. Some way must be found to allow the top two or three teams to compete in the European Challenge Cup or some other transnational competition, even if this would lead to some confusion in the league fixture list.

It was goodbye to Matt Williams as national coach. He lost too many matches and he lost the confidence of the players, shackled by his playing-by-six numbers game-plan. Some would add "and good riddance" to their good-byes, but not everything he did was bad. He put more trust in very young players than other coaches would have done, and two at least - Chris Cusiter and Ally Hogg - justified his faith in them.

It's goodbye also to Tom Smith, one of the best loose-head props we have had, up there with Hugh McLeod, Ian MacLauchlan and David Sole; and goodbye to Gordon Bulloch, a hooker who would have been outstanding in a stronger side than Scotland have been recently.

One hopes it's only au revoir to Stuart Grimes and Nathan Hines. On the other hand, it may be "welcome back" to Gregor Townsend; while Simon Taylor, still feeling his way after his injuries (throughout the autumn) is, I think, ready to be a dominating force in the Six Nations.

THERE have been good things of course: the continuing excellence of Chris Paterson, the emergence of Sean Lamont as a winger capable of destroying defences, the belated recognition of Marcus Di Rollo as the most creative midfield back in Scotland, the choice of Jason White as captain and the promise offered by the back row of Hogg, Taylor and White; and, it almost goes without saying, the fierce but friendly rivalry of Chris Cusiter and Mike Blair. It is not unreasonably optimistic to think that Scotland are on the verge of becoming a team that wins big matches.

Looking forward to the Six Nations, it would be nice not only to record some victories, but to see Scotland playing with style and flair. Tries scored from a distance greater than five yards would be welcome. The players are capable of it. Witness that fine try scored by Simon Webster from Phil Godman's delightful grubber kick against the All Blacks, and the brilliance of that one for Edinburgh in Toulouse, fashioned by Blair and finished by Paterson. There were fine tries even last season, against Wales and England, but they came in matches already lost or all but lost. Let's hope for better things in February and March.

Happy New Year to all.

This article: http://sport.scotsman.com/rugby.cfm?id=2479472005

This article was posted on 31-Dec-2005, 09:27 by Hugh Barrow.