DAVID FERGUSON


THE Scottish Rugby Union has turned to the Scotland captain to help lift the Murrayfield crowd for the RBS Six Nations match with France in 16 days.

Just over 30,000 tickets have been sold for the first international of the year, which is a significant improvement on the 14,000 which witnessed the autumn Tests with Argentina and Samoa, but still well short of traditional expectations for the visit of France.


Jason White, the Sale flanker, will continue as Scotland's skipper after gaining widespread respect within the squad for the way he led the side during the autumn series. The SRU's marketing team has latched on to the respect he also commands outside Murrayfield by sending out letters signed by White urging supporters to buy tickets for the game on Sunday, 5 February.

The match will also mark White's 50th Test appearance and he admitted last month that while the paltry attendance for his first match as Scotland captain, against Argentina, did not deflect from the occasion, it certainly bore no resemblance to his Test debut, when he helped inspire Scotland to a Calcutta Cup victory over England at Murrayfield in 2000.

A combination of the off-field politics and on-field displays during the Matt Williams era have hit attendances and the fact this match is on a Sunday, with a full club rugby programme the preceding day, has made for a slow club uptake. Even a French public holiday does not appear to have helped their interest in tickets. White stated: "I know the game being on a Sunday makes it difficult for some of you to make it to Murrayfield for the game, but I urge you, if there's any way you can come along, please do!

"We have some great entertainment lined up and I can't wait to run out onto the pitch with the crowd right behind us - it's a brilliant atmosphere! Honestly, having such a fantastic crowd really does make a difference to the boys - you really are the 16th man! If we can get a winning start with a good win then I truly believe we can head to Cardiff with confidence the following week. And with two wins under our belt, who knows what could happen when the English come calling!

"We're playing a style of expansive rugby that we all enjoy playing and the crowds seem to enjoy watching, and I'm sure will soon start producing good wins on a regular basis."

This article was posted on 20-Jan-2006, 08:19 by Hugh Barrow.