HOPE FLOWERS IN SCOTLAND
Eddie Jones, like Stuart Lancaster four years ago, begins his England reign against Scotland, the only team to beat his Japan in last year’s World Cup. A Charlie Hodgson chargedown was enough to give the visitors the spoils in a scrappy encounter in 2012 at a time when Scottish rugby was a depreciating currency.
There was little fanfare then for Lancaster who was England’s head coach in a caretaker capacity as the ruins of the 2011 World Cup campaign were raked over. The anticipation was that someone rather more high-profile would be appointed after the Six Nations but a second-place finish led to him being told to carry on.
There is no such low profile for Jones whose England squad announcement on Wednesday was preceded by weeks of speculation. During his appearance at Monday night’s Rugby Union Writers’ Club dinner he reminded members that the evening’s question-and-answer session was off the record after his musings at a drinks party for reporters before Christmas found their way into print. Even among cynical denizens of the fourth estate there is a sense of anticipation, excitement even. Lancaster used to talk about a player’s points of difference as the basis for selection; Jones will be different and, unlike the previous regime, he will not be afraid to wind up opponents.
England, the bookmakers’ favourites to win the Six Nations, will not want for attention which will suit Scotland who came the closest of any of the Six Nations sides to making the semi-finals of the World Cup. They were within a couple of minutes and a disputed penalty of defeating Australia at Twickenham, two weekends after the Wallabies had eliminated England at the same ground, with hope rising from despair.
“There were times a few years ago when I feared for Scotland’s place at rugby’s top table,” said the former Scotland and Lions’ outside-half Gregor Townsend, who is the head coach of the Guinness Pro 12 champions, Glasgow. “That has not been the case in the last couple and Scottish Rugby have to be applauded for recognising that there needed to be more investment at professional level.
“Glasgow and Edinburgh are both very competitive. A number of our players are based in Scotland, which helps in preparing and managing them, and more and more supporters are getting behind the professional teams. We have had sell-outs this season and I have an optimistic outlook. You could see what the sport was becoming when it turned professional, bigger stands being put up, more people watching and a better standard of rugby, but you asked why we were not at the table. Players are now coming through. Scotland finished bottom of the Six Nations last season but there were some good performances, at home to Wales and in Paris. Before that we had beaten Argentina comfortably and pushed the All Blacks close.
“When I played, England and France were always the favourites and if Wales, Ireland or Scotland had a good year, they could push them. Now, Ireland, Wales, England and France are all at a high level. Scotland have improved and they are close to breaking into the top three of the Six Nations, but you have to play consistently well.”
Townsend was speaking at Monday’s announcement that Standard Life Investments had become the principal partner and jersey sponsor of the Lions, a team that in recent tours has not imposed much on Scotland. “The potential is there to have more players on next year’s tour to New Zealand but we will have to wait and see what happens in the next 18 months,” he said. “We have more candidates at this stage than in previous years and it will depend not least on how well they play as a team. A good Six Nations would build momentum and we have a number of players who have shown in the last couple of seasons that they are quality.
“The World Cup galvanised our nation. People who are not traditionally rugby supporters were watching the Australia game on the edge of their seats. The way the players kept going and scored a try with a couple of minutes to go which looked like getting us into the semi-final has given a lot of people in Scotland belief we can do really well in the next couple of years, especially when you see that the group of players will be around for the next World Cup.”
Having England at home first up will fertilise that groundswell but it is a fixture Scotland have not won for eight years and the last time they scored a try at home against the men in white in the Six Nations was in 2004, more than seven hours of rugby ago. England are unbeaten in their last eight matches against Scotland but there is unlikely to be a repeat of the passivity shown by the Scots in the 20-0 defeat at Murrayfield in 2014. This year, one of international rugby’s top fixtures through the ages will have a New Zealand head coach, Vern Cotter, pitched against an Australian.
“Scotland-England brings its own atmosphere and anticipation and it is really exciting this year because England are coming under a new coach,” said Townsend. “We do not know what their team will look like, how they will play or their level after the disappointment after the World Cup. Will Eddie Jones make a difference straight away? I do believe that with the crowd behind the team and the optimism there is in Scotland that we can be really confident. We will need to be because the Six Nations is all about momentum and they play Wales in Cardiff the following week. It would be fantastic to start with a win.”
None of the four home unions has one of its own as a head coach but Townsend will be a contender when Cotter moves on. “When you are a player, you are driven to become an international,” said Townsend. “You want to play for Scotland and you will run an extra mile to achieve that. If you make it, you have the Lions to aim for, but as a coach you are wrapped up in making your team better and cannot see beyond that. I just feel lucky to be Glasgow’s head coach. Nationality does not matter in the modern game: it is all about doing as well as you can.”
• This is an extract taken from the Breakdown, the Guardian’s weekly rugby union email. To subscribe, just visit this page, find ‘The Breakdown’ and follow the instructions.
