NEIL DRYSDALE IN TODAYS HERALD
The word association of Scotland and Twickenham tends to fit together about as well as Jeremy Guscott and humility or Jonathan Davies and silence.

Ever since the old Four Nations became Five and then Six, Scotland have travelled to London every other year with hope in their hearts only to have it extinguished in the space of 80 minutes of slow torture, masquerading as a rugby match.

The realm of the sweet charioteers has grown into such a graveyard of Scottish ambition that the last time the team triumphed there was in the year Michael Foot led the Labour Party to an unprecedented election defeat against Margaret Thatcher in 1983.


Since then, there have been close shaves, crushing defeats and a solitary draw (in 1989), but nothing to equal the efficiency and effervescence with which Scotland, bolstered by such stalwart figures as Jim Renwick, Keith Robertson, Jim Aitken, David Leslie and John Beattie, defeated the English 22-12 with sprinklings of the virtuosity which were to earn the redoubtable Aitken's troops the grand slam the following season.

"They were in a bit of disarray and we got stuck into them up front and never allowed them to settle," recalls Renwick, the beetle-browed Hawick impresario, who was nearing the climax of his serried 52-cap international career.

"We had the attitude that we were better than them and I remember that Dusty Hare had a pretty poor afternoon, whereas some of our boys - and especially Leslie - put in a brilliant afternoon's work.

"We hunted in packs and, wherever England went, they ran into a brick wall. We beat them fair and square. It was the only time I tasted victory at Twickenham, but I don't think even the most patriotic English supporter could have argued that we didn't deserve it."

In those days, as Renwick observed, England were regularly hampered by the RFU's inability to capitalise on their vast resources and it wasn't until the last couple of Five Nations fixtures that they settled into any sort of groove.

Fast forward a quarter of a century and Martin Johnson seems to have unearthed a potent XV, given the panache with which his charges demolished France on Sunday.

This weekend, then, promises to be a fraught occasion for the Scots, particularly in the knowledge that failure will signify another dismal championship campaign.

"I ask myself, Are we genuinely making progress?', and I am not sure that we are," said Renwick. "To have any chance against the English, our half-backs will have to fare better than they have managed in previous games, because you can see that it is the sides with good No.9s and 10s - Wales and Ireland - who have risen to the top of the table.

"One of the disappointing things is that we always seem to be talking about the potential or promise of this Scotland side, but most of these lads are experienced players who should be capable of grinding out wins in tight situations. I think it is time for the likes of Jason White and Simon Taylor to stand up and be counted.

"Obviously, it is a huge task on Saturday, and England will punish us if we miss the kind of tackles which the French did last weekend.

But we have talent and it is about going down there with the proper attitude, self-belief, technical proficiency and killer instinct which has perhaps been lacking so far this season.

"The majority of the guys in the squad have beaten England - some of them have done it twice - in the past three or four years, so it is not as if we should be frightened of them at Twickenham.

"We have to find ways of getting behind them, unsettling them and getting the crowd on their back.

It isn't impossible, but we will have to be at our best."

Even during the Six Nations, Renwick's thoughts have been focused on the plight of his beloved Hawick, who are currently staring relegation in the face for the first time in their history.

On Saturday afternoon, they take on Stirling County at Mansfield Park in a must-win tussle and effectively need to post a 100% record in their final trio of fixtures if they are to avoid the drop.

It is a far cry from the halcyon period when the fabled Green Machine, featuring Renwick, were hoovering up titles in the 1970s.

Now coach, Renwick is pragmatic in assessing the situation. "The playing numbers aren't there any more, because there aren't the jobs here in the borders, so we lose a lot of lads to the city clubs and it isn't only us who are struggling in that respect," he said.

"We have to hope that we can dig out the victories we need, but it is an anxious time. Pride and passion are great, but they only take you so far."

What Hawick and Scotland wouldn't give for a Renwick in the ranks again.

This article was posted on 19-Mar-2009, 08:14 by Hugh Barrow.