Auld Enemy and Argentina in Scots' Rugby World Cup 2011 pool

Published on Tuesday 2 December 2008 09:13

MENTION Scotland versus England at the Rugby World Cup to Ally Hogg and the 47-times capped star will tell you his memories extend only to "Gav shanking it in front of the posts."

In essence, the reference to an infamous penalty miss by Gavin Hastings at a key stage of the only previous meeting between the countries reflects the banter that exists between an Edinburgh player like Hogg and that club's chairman.

Nevertheless – and especially since Hogg was only eight-years-old at the time Scotland lost a 1991 semi-final to the Auld Enemy by the tantalisingly close margin of 9-6 – it shows the impact a collision between these two powers can make on conscience.

So, an early warning, then, of what will be at stake when the teams line up again in 2011 following a pool draw yesterday for a tournament to be hosted by New Zealand and which also sees the Scots go in with Argentina and two qualifiers yet to be determined.

Not all will be strong enough, as Hastings was, to bounce back and in some style but that does not deter the Scots players from looking forward with relish, as summed up by Hogg, who says: "It's going to be interesting with England in the pool as that is always a big game. Playing them in a World Cup is going to add extra to it.

"As for Argentina, they put us out at the quarter-final of the last World Cup so just qualifying from the pool is going to tough for any of us and taking nothing away from the other finalists whoever they might eventually be."

While recognising the severity of the task, though, the sporting gods could have been harder on Scotland.

Quite apart from being paired with the two teams above them in the rankings, whom they have beaten in 2008, they have avoided not only the hosts but also those mini-All Black-me's that are Samoa in virtually their own backyard given the exodus from the Pacific Islands.

Additionally, the oldest Scot to figure in last month's Autumn Tests, Nathan Hines, will be 35 by the time TWC 2011 rolls around so it is not inconceivable the current squad could stay together improving and gaining experience.

"Everyone in the squad would love to be around in 2011 although we can't really start thinking about it until it starts to get close. A lot has happened since the last meeting and these are really early days," says Hogg, 25, in rightly refusing to look beyond the next assignment which happens to be at home on February 8 to Wales who just happen to be the only home nation to have taken a southern hemisphere scalp this autumn.

However, Hogg does admit "you enjoy every game you play against England" and the feeling is that the second instalment of 2011 following on from a Twickenham Calcutta Cup that year will be particularly special – both for the team and Hogg.

After all, he could be excused a special sense of anticipation having come into the Scottish team as a 21-year-old immediately after the 2003 tournament while four years later he became the first Scotland forward since John Jeffrey in 1987 to post a try "hat-trick" when he trebled against Romania at Murrayfield.

As for Hastings, no harm ever came to him in going on to captain the Lions where he became one of only a handful of Scots to post a Test win over the All Blacks besides leading Scotland into the subsequent World Cup.

In between there was also the matter of proving up to the task of knocking over the conversion of his own try which meant the difference between Scotland drawing and winning in France for the first time in 26 years.