Robinson warns there will be no let-up

Published on Sunday 29 November 2009 21:48

TWO steps forward and one back is a simple way to encapsulate Scotland's first Bank of Scotland Autumn Test series under Andy Robinson, and while the great Wallaby win towers as the achievement of 2009, how to get rid of that gnawing 'step back' feeling will be the difficult problem to solve before the team returns to the international arena in 2010.

Two wins from three was what most supporters will have expected from this series – pessimists probably feared just one and optimists a clean sweep.

The margin between the first and last of those expectations turned out to be extremely slim, and Scotland emerged from the toughest match with a thrilling victory over Australia to end a 27-year wait for success in that mouthwatering fixture.

The 23-10 defeat of a Fijian side missing six key players was uninspiring, but represented a solid start; the 9-8 win against the Wallabies came incredibly without Scottish hands on the ball for most of the game, but proved hugely uplifting in any case, and then it was countered by deflation in defeat to an under-strength Argentina team on Saturday.

Robinson has stressed that results are what counts in Test rugby, and he is right, but he now has to look behind them and grasp why Scotland failed to ram home their advantage against the Fijians, did not play particularly well yet beat a full-strength Wallaby side, and played much better but lost to the Pumas.

Reflecting yesterday on his first series as Scotland coach, Robinson said he was unsurprised but emboldened by what he had witnessed in the last three weeks. He was pleased with debutants Alex Grove and Alan MacDonald, though Glasgow openside John Barclay remains his No 1 choice at seven, and picked out Moray Low, Al Kellock and Sean Lamont for plaudits.

But, typically, in digesting the positives and negatives from the campaign, Robinson found a balance of both in most areas, even warning that the fine defence -which has conceded only two tries in three games – would have to now step up away from home.

He said: "I think the defensive effort has been magnificent and if we can take that level of defence into every game in the Six Nations we will be a difficult team to beat, but we have to be able to defend that well away from home.

"There has been an improvement in the set-piece. However, points we conceded against Argentina came through the set-piece, so while there have been improvements when it really came down to winning a game on Saturday the set-piece let us down. In the pressure of the last five minutes the lineout buckled, and so did the scrum near our line, but, in saying that, Moray Low (tighthead prop] had a very good game.

"We also moved forward in our attacking game, but didn't score points. I was pleased with the innovation, short kick-off, short 22s, attacks that went well from inside our 22, and the opportunities created for counter-attacks. The preparation work, the ability to put a team under pressure in the first half with our attacks, counter-attacks, ability to keep the ball and ambition we played with on Saturday was pleasing, but we have to be ruthless and when it came to finishing we weren't ruthless enough."

Robinson and his assistants Gregor Townsend and Graham Steadman had already pored over the game in some detail before breakfast yesterday, and there will be more meetings and debates as the focus shifts already to the RBS Six Nations Championship and opening match with France. The most concerning statistic from the recent campaign is a continuation of that which has plagued Scottish coaches and teams for the past decade – the 'tries scored' column. They scored only two, both against Fiji, and that is where the reality of the challenge facing Robinson and his team is most stark.

Some will point at Townsend, the team's attack coach, for having failed to improve the team's finishing and there may even be a few who believe Dan Parks should be restored at stand-off. But Robinson will continue to show faith in both Townsend and Phil Godman, and give them time. Townsend's ideas were starting to show on Saturday while the Edinburgh pivot may not be proving himself to be a long-term solution, due to a lack of consistency, but he is improving and does offer the back line more opportunity to play.

Ruaridh Jackson, the 21-year-old stand-off at Glasgow, would probably have earned his first cap off the bench this month had he been fit and become a contender for the Six Nations, but he is only expected to return from a shoulder injury in a fortnight, so then begin to regain his form and push to challenge Godman in the spring. But it is asking too much of him to become a genuine Test option in that time. It now also seems likely that Glasgow and Edinburgh will be looking to promote two more young stand-offs next year.

The answer in the short-term lies with the entire 30-40 players who fancy their chances under Robinson to make improvements to their game as it was their skills under pressure that, ultimately, deprived them of a rare three-in-a-row.

Scotland coaches in the past have retreated to basic game-plans to accommodate players' failure to execute ambitious attacking plans, having started out like Robinson, Townsend and Steadman are determined to ask more of them.

That trio, as well as scrummaging coach Massimo Cuttitta, have spent more time with these players, and worked more closely with the coaches, at Glasgow and Edinburgh than any before, and that will continue over December and January as part of their focus to improve skills for the high-pressurised Test environment.

But the players' focus now shifts to rediscovering their club strengths and success and Robinson has to take something of a back seat. The players have had a taste of what he expects, grasped some challenges and let slip others, but have created a foundation on which to build a new era.

Robinson added: "We are now looking for players to improve their fitness, game understanding and individual skills plus the leadership, so that when the players come back to play for Scotland they are better players.

"It's a tough period now, especially for the home-based guys, with head-to-heads against English teams and each other – these are huge matches for them, but we'll be expecting them to improve their fitness and skill levels through them while a lot of people are looking forward to a holiday and resting over Christmas.

"If we needed it, this (defeat to Argentina] keeps our feet on the ground. I know we didn't need it, but it just drives everybody and keeps the focus on France and that first game (in the Six Nations]. Where we are is a team that can win and lose any game, and I mean that. We are a team that can score points and has the ability to open up sides, but we have to be at our very best in every aspect of the game to do that.

"We are disappointed with the result (against Argentina] but there is a lot of confidence in the squad moving forward, and that comes from the understanding of where we are and the work that has to go on, but also the fact that we do have the ability to perform at the highest level. My planning now is on how we beat France. If you look at the last two years, Scotland's start to the Six Nations has been a disappointment, after a huge build-up beforehand.

"I guess this year there will be a realisation, we don't build it up so much and we outperform. I'm very confident we will be able to do that, but we have to be at our very best."

Robinson added: "That (losing to Argentina] is not what we wanted to do but we can't turn the clock back. There was a fine line between us winning and losing that game. But I hope the supporters see a team full of passion, that is trying to play, and that it means a lot to everybody involved for Scotland to win. We'll be throwing everything at France to win that next game, and the support is an important part of that."

AUTUMN TESTS

Saturday, 14 November

SCOTLAND 23 FIJI 10

Tries Beattie, Morrison

Pens Godman (3)

Cons Godman (2)

Saturday, 21 November

SCOTLAND 9 AUSTRALIA 8

Pens Godman (2)

Drop-goal Paterson

Saturday, 28 November

SCOTLAND 6 ARGENTINA 9

Pens Godman (2)