THE HERALD WRITES

It is probably too soon for talk of Frank Hadden being replaced

KEVIN FERRIE, Chief Rugby Writer
February 14 2008
As the Scotland rugby party left for Wales last Friday morning, it was to the sound of English commentators trying to stifle their amusement at the efforts of New Zealand's young Twenty20 cricket squad in the warm-up matches to their proper One-Day International series. After two 50-over matches, no-one is laughing now, or not, at least, in the visiting camp.

Channel-hopping on Monday evening brought a rare stop at Scotsport, where I spotted that the impressive George Burley was a guest. "Everyone knows goals change matches," Scotland's new manager was saying in the context of an early missed chance by the beaten side. "Who knows what would have happened if they had scored then?" He was talking about Aberdeen who had been beaten 5-1, no less, by Celtic the previous day.

Both skits seem relevant in the semi-hysterical response to Frank Hadden's worst week as Scotland coach - between Sunday February 3 and Saturday February 9.


Consider just how short a period that is and the incompetence of officials in awarding the crucial first try to France and third try to Wales. Amid all this, a man hounded out of Test rugby less than 18 months ago has become, in the eyes of some, the obvious alternative.

Andy Robinson has been hugely impressive since he arrived at Edinburgh, but a wee exchange just before the RBS Six Nations began - it was the day he named the Scotland A team to play Italy - convinced me he had spent his time on the sidelines undertaking a crash course in psychology. With a mischievous grin, he said: "You're one of those people who sees the glass as half-empty, aren't you?"

Whether or not Robinson has transformed himself will only be revealed by how he acts under pressure


Since Andy is not among those who pretends he does not read the papers it's a pity he missed the message in our own letters page just a few weeks ago when I was castigated for being over optimistic by a reader who doubtless now feels fully vindicated in his assessment.

Then again the suspicion is that, having done a fine job on the mindset of Murrayfield's receptive young 20-somethings, Robinson was hoping that a bit of reverse psychology might get this wizened old hack to be a bit more upbeat than would otherwise have been the case. The trouble is that this notion was coming from someone who, on more than one occasion when I've encountered him before, has himself looked as though he were desperately in need of a glass-full of something strong but doubted anyone would buy him one.

On Lions tours in both Australia, on the Melbourne riverside - I'm not sure if it was before or after the Wallabies levelled the series - and at the harbour in Auckland, when the series honours had long since departed, the then forwards coach looked like a hunted animal, hunkered down and eyes flitting about as if anticipating attack at any moment.

Meanwhile, as England coach, he frequently looked like the definition of the word "gloom".

In a recent interview, Iain Morrison, who knows him better than most in Scotland, the two having been rivals in their playing days, observed that Robinson should never attempt to play poker for money because he is much too easy to read.

In saying that, Robinson, as he seeks to rehabilitate himself, has been a pleasure to be around. His players think he is doing a great job, a matter borne out by results. He talks readily and impressively about the sport. So should the Scottish Rugby Union, on the back of a week of six nations rugby, rush to offer him the Scotland job?

Keep in mind that this is his "honeymoon" period which, admittedly, he has extended by virtue of results. In his first few weeks, he was always going to get away with a run of defeats with his youthful squad. Since then he has suffered only a couple more and put together half a dozen fine wins.

Whether or not he has completely transformed himself will, though, only be revealed when we see how he reacts when under pressure again.

Ahead of his first meeting with Robinson back at the start of the season, it was refreshing to hear Sean Lineen, the Glasgow Warriors coach, readily set ego aside to enthuse about how much he might learn from someone with such experience at the highest level.

In the aforementioned conversation on the day of the A team announcement I suggested to Robinson that he might also find Lineen uplifting to work with, as a bloke who genuinely does see the glass at least three-quarters full at all times.

It was encouraging this midweek then that, while fending off questions about the Scotland job, Edinburgh's coach spoke of having learned from working with his Warriors counterparts Lineen and Shade Munro. I hope he meant it, if for no other reason than that they long ago learned how to keep smiling through the adversity that is an inevitable part of professional coaching in Scotland.

This article was posted on 14-Feb-2008, 08:40 by Hugh Barrow.