Graeme Morrison grateful of another chance after failing to hit top gear for Scots

Published on Thursday 11 March 2010 22:04

THE EXPECTATIONS on international players are often unrealistic and as spectators and e-mailers spout forth about who should and should not play, it is a measure perhaps of Andy Robinson's experience as an international coach that he is sticking by players this week.

Graeme Morrison is a prime example. At Tuesday's team announcement the head coach made no secret of the fact that he had not been wholly impressed by the Glasgow centre's form in the current RBS Six Nations Championship. Yet, he also highlighted how he had witnessed enough from the 27-year-old's performances, both at club and international level, and in training, over the past year and more to believe he has what it takes to be a fulcrum of his Scotland team.

He showed his ruthlessness when he pulled Morrison off the field at half-time in the Test match with Australia in November, but now feels some faith is required. Morrison appreciates it and is determined to prove his coach right in tomorrow's Calcutta Cup clash, where he comes up against one of England's most intelligent rugby players in Riki Flutey and will be tasked with leading the hosts' defensive alignment.

But he is also disarmingly honest about his form and knows that the selection this week could have gone either way. "I think there's no hiding from the fact that I haven't been firing on all cylinders in this tournament so far," he said. "I've done a lot of analysis and searching for reasons why.

"Whenever I pull on the Scotland jersey I always try and do my best – the last thing I want to do is let anyone down – and so I'm very glad that Robbo has given me another chance this weekend. We have had a few words and I know he wants the best from me, and I'm looking forward to repaying him with a good performance."

Morrison may be coming to the end of his sixth year in international rugby, but, having come through levels of competition in Scotland not as stringent as those in England and other leading rugby nations, there is a sense that with his 21st cap in Italy has come a rugby equivalent of the key to the door; a realisation of where he is, what he is good at and why he is part of Robinson's plans for the future.

All teams want world-class rugby players, but they need blends and few world coaches have fewer resources with which to find potency than Scotland's. Just as Dan Parks' game is always going to be more kicking-orientated than running, so Morrison's strengths are his power and quick feet in congested areas.

The last time Scotland won a tournament, in 1999, it was the midfield axis of Gregor Townsend, John Leslie and Alan Tait that was heralded as the key production unit. Townsend was not the greatest kicker Scotland have had, but had sublime running and handling skills, Leslie was not the sort to scythe through defences or beat players with pace, but his intelligence and off-loading ability in traffic snared defenders, while Tait's clever angles of running made him so potent.

Robinson is striving for a blend with different players and different strengths. Every centre wants his stand-off to take the ball flat and threaten to give him a chance of asking questions and finding gaps, and Morrison has been helping Parks to improve the fly-half's threat, but he is not looking for excuses and also dismisses the suggestion that he is still getting to grips with new demands from new coaches.

"No that's not it because I've worked with these coaches for a while now. I think possibly I've been moving away from what I'm good at; looking to create things more for other players. You're always doing that of course, but in looking at how to bring them into the game, how to get them running for gaps and trying to put them there, I've maybe got myself stuck in two minds and then neither thing comes off.

"I need to focus on my strengths which is running hard and beating players, and maybe that's something I've gone away from in the last few weeks. We've talked a lot about that this week and I've learned a lot from the discussions I've had with the coaches. I'm grateful now for the chance to run out into this Calcutta Cup match and the opportunity to prove I'm learning by producing the kind of performance I know I'm capable of.

"There's nothing drastic I need to change, just the mindset of getting good go-forward for the guys. I've been working hard on that this week and feeling really good."

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