Six Nations: Now it’s Scottish defence under microscope as Steadman set to exit

Published on Sunday 12 February 2012 01:10

Scotland, a team with a chronic inability to score tries who have not crossed the whitewash in their past four games, are to part company with their defence coach. Scotland on Sunday understands that Graham Steadman’s contract with Scotland will expire at the end of this season and will not be renewed.

Steadman, who has been a part of the Murrayfield set-up for almost four years, will leave the Scotland coaching team as Australian Scott Johnson, who is currently the director of coaching of the Welsh side Ospreys, joins Andy Robinson’s management team ahead of the summer tour to Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Coming on the morning when Scotland play Wales at the Millennium Stadium after a deeply disappointing loss to England in their opening RBS Six Nations match last Saturday, the decision is sure to be a controversial one, especially given that Robinson has been under increasing pressure to discard attack coach Gregor Townsend.

The Scotland coach has so far withstood such calls and continues to stand by the former Scotland and Lions stand-off. Instead, it is Steadman who is to be let go as scrutiny of Robinson’s record intensifies. Although Scotland have achieved some notable wins during his reign, including victories over Australia and South Africa and a Test series triumph in Argentina, they have won just two of 11 Six Nations games under his stewardship, while last year Robinson’s team became the first Scotland side to fail to reach the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup.

Steadman, a 50-year-old Englishman and former Great Britain Rugby League player, was recruited by Robinson’s predecessor Frank Hadden in August 2008. Although Steadman was generally thought to have done a good job, Scotland’s record of scoring just 20 tries in 25 games since Robinson’s first Test in November 2009 has ensured that the coaching team needed to be reshuffled. Given Robinson’s decision to allow his defence coach to work with Sale Sharks two days a week from last year, there were perhaps already signs that the national coach was ready to lose Steadman.

The Scottish Rugby Union yesterday declined to comment, saying only that it does not comment on private contractual arrangements.

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16

Pablo Montoya

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 09:42 PM

LOL @ R Green.

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15

solwaysam

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 08:57 PM

Let's stop calling for heads to roll and dig in there - the performance of the forwards today was immense and guys like Laidlaw, Blair and Hogg should be cast iron starters against France

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14

Allenatore dello Sport Scozesse

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 08:13 PM

Scotland lost again. In the second half just the same as last week against engerland Mistakes not made by Parks but by Laidlaw at the kick off and a missed tackle when men short due to the stupidity of Di Luca and Lamont. Therefore no change, sterling effort but no matter who is selected the team is liable to a lapse of concentration which is inevitably fatal.

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13

R Green

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 07:29 PM

Once again Parks has a shocker - poor tackling at the first Welsh try, too slow to the breakdown and the yellow card pretty much summed up his entire Scotland career ...How much longer is Robinson going to put up with this guy!!! Get Laidlaw in now!!!

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12

HairyScot

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 07:21 PM

Compared to past squads the current lot does seem to be lacking something. I remember when there were household names in the team. Now I am sure only die hard rugby fans can name any of the players. What has happened to Scottish rugby? When compared to nations of similar or smaller population like Eire, Wales, New Zealand, it seems Scotland is regressing while they are progressing.

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11

SeniorandSenior

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 06:02 PM

I'd be wary of dropping anyone. De Luca didn't play badly apart from his rush to the head, When he plays well Cusiter is one of our best players. I think there is a confidence thing going on - the team is so used to losing the plot in the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half it becomes self fulfilling. They've just got to believe and stick with it. I think there is a reasonable chance someone this season is going to be on the end of a beating from Scotland, it could even be France. I wouldn't expect it, I'd keep expectations low key and just have a go. You can't play 15 minutes against a team of Wales's quality 2 men down and win........ if we hadn't done that we would have been well in it at the end because Wales were struggling to break us down and had made something like 150 tackles. The team deserves more than being torn apart by the supporters.

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10

bumpkin

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 05:50 PM

drop deluca and cusiter, then we might win.

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9

SeniorandSenior

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 05:24 PM

Hard luck Scotland. Nick de Luca, Chris Cusiter and Rory Lamont will be kicking themselves, but if you keep playing like that, some day you're going to win.

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8

Tightfisted

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 04:21 PM

"VOTE "ON" Sir....yerra MORON. Firsly, because of your pseudo (which i can't BRING myself to repeat correctly.......and secondly, if you're SO anti what we may presume for the moment simply isn't your national side, then you cleaarly know two-fifths of Zilch about rugby. No scot is very happy about recent results of course, but if YOU even DREAM that the lads out there aren't trying every muscle to the maximum then you really ARE stupid, with no cause whatever to lay such a charge. In fact, you're SO off the wall that I'm forced to ask " Are You a Jambo"?????...you really ARE that daft !!!

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7

Vote 'NO'

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 02:46 PM

The Problem isn't the coaching but a lack of quality and backbone on the field.

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6

j0cker

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 02:10 PM

What an utter disgrace, it is Townsend we need shot off he has been appalling as an attack coach, Steadman has down a great job for us. We need someone experienced as the attack coach and can stop Robison swapping players in and out every game. The stupid kicking game we seem to deploy is just typical of Townsends lack of understanding, our poor displays are partly down to the players but mostly to do with how they have been coached and told to play the game. Time for change I vote!

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5

bellebrise

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 01:39 PM

One can only presume that they are drawing lots.

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4

widdershins

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 12:09 PM

Agree with Thumper. In the last few years the only real saving grace of the Scotland team has been solid (on occassion outstanding) defence. Whereas attack, well.... I can't help but get the impression that 'game plan' seems to override actually playing the game far more than it should. The guys can play - watching Glasgow and Edinburgh proves this - so the stumbling block seem to come with the pulling on of the dark blue shirt. Less plan Toonie, more play.

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3

Thumper

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 08:25 AM

The facts stand for themselves in that our defence has been crediable over the last few years but our attack strategy and execution fall very far short of what is required at international level (or any level) Im afraid whlist I enjoyed Townsend's flair as a player (when it actaully occured) I alwayts felt it instinctive rather than structured. He struggled to bring others into the game, a point which is mirrored again and again over the last few years. What compunded the "problem" is his appointment made was without him having experience

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2

leemagee

Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 04:23 AM

I think that the photo caption should read: "come on Gregor...just one bloody try for f**k sake!!"

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