Robinson praises squad quality and counts on referee to keep the game flowing

Published on Friday 12 March 2010 23:05

VISITORS to Murrayfield could be forgiven for feeling Andy Robinson had lost it yesterday and was shifting from rugby into dance mode as he spoke of a desire for his players to take a "quick, slow, quick, quick, quick" approach to winning the Calcutta Cup.

It might have been the appearance at the national stadium of Kenny Logan, the former Scotland winger turned ballroom dancer, who was aiding Lawrence Dallaglio's marathon cycle effort around Europe for Sport Relief, but the Scotland coach is clear in his mission to bring a dangerous rhythm to Scotland's attacking play.

On the eve of his first meeting with his own nation, his first Calcutta Cup experience since steering England to defeat at Murrayfield in 2006, the coach was unsurprisingly keen to avoid talk of how he might feel meeting up again with his former captain Martin Johnson, this time on opposite sides.

But he was happy to emphasise how he hoped today's match referee Marius Jonker would continue his penchant for penalising players who try to stop rugby from flowing by deliberately lying over the ball at rucks.

He said: "What we have is a referee who has been really hot over the past few weeks on the tackler getting out the way. That's a key aspect of getting quick ball, and then there can be a real contest for that possession by players on their feet and entering through the gate.

"One of the key aspects of what he (Jonker] will bring is quick ball, getting the tackler out the way...

Some referees say things before a game and don't deliver. It's a key aspect for us and I think it will help the speed of the game."

Robinson acknowledged that this was hardly a new trait picked up by his former captain, even if he did not go as far as to state that he wants his own back row to be ruthlessly adept at slowing English ball. That is the slow bit of the Scottish game-plan. It is the balance he seeks and the key is managing it without giving Jonny Wilkinson easy penalties, but the point Robinson stressed was that if every team was penalised for illegally stopping the flow of ball then the RBS Six Nations Championship would be a more entertaining spectacle for all concerned.

Still, it would be wrong to assume that a faster-flowing game will end in a Scotland victory tonight. There are players in lily-white who are desperate to see more ball and show their speed and skills with it in hand.

"From what I've been hearing, there's a confidence to go out and attack us in the wider channels. Looking at our games, against France in particular, we were very narrow early on and we conceded a couple of tries because of that. We have to make sure we spread the field," he said.

"But England will play in different ways. There are many ways to win a game of rugby. What we do respect is the ball-carrying abilities of (Nick] Easter, (Joe] Worsley and (James] Haskell because they can challenge any defence if you sit off them and don't knock them over. They have good leg-drive and they can create space for other players to play.

"Danny Care's pace can ask a lot of questions of our front five around the fringes and we have to be watertight there. They still have pace outside in the likes of (Delon] Armitage, (Ugo] Monye and (Mark] Cueto . We know and respect the fact they can attack out there.

"But the battles of the packs will be pretty hot and physical and it's about which pack can get quality possession for their backline."

Robinson appears to be relishing what for him, in the Calcutta Cup, is the unfamiliar role of the underdog. Even the English rugby media commented on his more relaxed state than they remember before England games.

He continued: "There is real belief in our squad and what pleased me in Italy was the way we changed our game when the initial approach wasn't working, and got ourselves into the position to win it.

"There's been a lot written and said because we've lost, which is fair, but there have been promising signs too. I've been watching the leadership and skills in training today and it has increased my confidence that this squad has the ability to go places.

"We have to understand that nobody will sit down and die against us, we have to play well in every game, for 80 minutes, but I spoke of how proud I was after the performance in Cardiff and there were elements in Italy that were very pleasing. The reality of losing we have to deal with, but also use it to sharpen how we operate."

He added: "I'm looking forward to the whole experience this weekend. I think every emotional driver and the collective will of the Scottish nation is important for us to win games.

"When you're playing at home that's something that you can create through the intensity of the crowd, but the crowd has also got to respond to the way that we're playing. I think they'll have a few things to cheer about and get inspired about tomorrow."

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