TODAYS HERALD REPORTS

Lesson learned from defeat? Education comes from winning
HUGH MacDONALD, Chief Sportswriter March 16 2009
Scottish rugby is facing the most agonising of conundrums. They have a team that does not have the experience of winning. Yet they must win to achieve that experience.

The difference between the sides on Saturday was one converted try. There were other arithmetical indications, too, of Ireland's superiority in the crucial areas of the game. Briefly, the visitors won seven turnovers to Scotland's four, made 12 errors to 17 from the hosts and completed 191 passes to Frank Hadden's side's 130. And they scored the one try.

Thom Evans talked later of the moment when he thought his kick and chase would be rewarded with a touchdown. He was denied by a defence that was always defiant. There was a moment, too, as Evans sprinted down the left wing that showed how maturity and experience can just make the difference.

Brian O'Driscoll watched Evans break with tired disappointment, believing that he could not make a significant contribution to stopping the Scottish winger. However, when he saw that Evans was almost certain to run out of space, O'Driscoll accelerated to bring down Phil Godman as he threatened to capitalise on Scotland's most dangerous break.

The temptation to compare O'Driscoll to Max Evans, his Scotland counterpart, was irresistible, if deeply unfair. O'Driscoll is a prodigious talent, marked and shaped by the blows of battle. Evans is, in contrast, feeling his way into an international future. There should be no doubt about his talent, but he lacks experience.

This can only come with regular exposure to top-class opponents. However, there is a downside to regular confrontations with the best. One can certainly learn from defeat but repeated failure can sap the soul.

O'Driscoll did not have a great match but he helped his team win. Evans, too, was never spectacular but he was part of a losing side. He and his brother have the confidence of tight-rope walkers, but they cannot be exposed to continual failure.

There is a simple solution, of course. Scotland must win more often. This ambition is made all the more frustrating by the realisation that Hadden's team has potential. The forwards are strong and mobile. The scrum was solid on Scotland ball, if wilfully careless on the Irish put-in. Chris Paterson is not the best full-back in the world, lacking that yard of pace that would make him devastating on breaks, but he is an impeccable kicker.

There is hope among the backs. Mike Blair is suffering from the malaise of a scrum-half playing in a losing side. He is scrutinised for mistakes that are more apparent than his abilities in a side that operated on the back foot for much of the second half. There is a growing murmur to include Chris Cusiter from the start against England. This should be resisted.

The other backs offer a substantial promise. The Evans brothers are quick and slippery and offer the chance of breaking international defences. Graeme Morrison is an excellent centre. He has an appetite for work, an aptitude for defence and an ability to make the hard, hard yards. The combination of Morrison and Max Evans could yet prove the key to future Scottish victories.

Simon Danielli is also a winger of some threat. He can, as he showed against the Italians, break a defence and cross the line, though he has to improve his concentration when in possession. Thom Evans could simply be devastating when provided with ball in space.

There was weary resignation, then, about the result rather than debilitating despair. The Irish head to Wales, where they face the most difficult of tasks in trying to claim a grand slam. Scotland must travel to Twickenham where they will be put under severe pressure by England. The result is, as always, crucial.

Hadden will almost certainly go if Scotland are defeated. But a victory will not just be vital for one man's future. It will also impact on the future of the Scotland team. This bunch of lads needs to add to the victory achieved against Italy. They need to learn to win. The next lesson will be no easier than the one on Saturday but it is an examination that Scotland must pass.

This article was posted on 16-Mar-2009, 08:11 by Hugh Barrow.