With a good eye for detail, Andy Robinson has kept his focus on three in a row

Published on Friday 27 November 2009 22:51

THE saying "the devil is in the details" is one often used to spotlight the origin of a calamity when there seemed to be none.

• Robinson talks tactics ahead of this afternoon's Argentina game with Johnnie Beattie, left, and Chris Paterson

As Scotland prepare for their third and final Bank of Scotland Corporate Autumn Test, many will troop into Murrayfield this afternoon convinced the home nation will triumph over Argentina. Some, perhaps more experienced supporters, may around 2.30pm still be trying to shake off a gnawing sense of having been here before: confidently perched on the crest of a run of victories, only for some little detail to bring Scotland crashing to the ground.

It is seven years since Scotland last won three Test matches in a row, when Romania, South Africa and Fiji were defeated in that autumn Test series – it actually made it four-in-a-row, following on from victory over the USA on tour, and would have been six but for defeat to Canada – but none of Ian McGeechan, Matt Williams nor Frank Hadden managed it since. That is partly why this decade has been Scotland's poorest on record.

However, this afternoon promises to be different, and much of that belief stems from head coach Andy Robinson's industry this week in living up to his reputation as a "rugby nut" with a near-pathological focus on details. While the rest of us were sharing in the awe at Scotland's defensive performance against Australia at Murrayfield a week ago, his brow was furrowing, the DVD replays pinpointing the defensive errors that allowed the Wallabies to cross the Scottish line three times.

While the Scottish scrum and lineout were receiving pats on the back, Robinson was already studying the daunting Argentine front five. There is emerging, with the head coach, a clear sense that nothing is left to chance, no failing overlooked or ignored.

That could have been said for his immediate predecessors too, but Robinson has that greater knowledge of the international game on which he is now drawing and sharing with Scottish players as they continue the search for the holy grail of Test match consistency.

"Test rugby is very enjoyable, whether you're winning or losing," he insisted, in upbeat mood yesterday. "Obviously, it helps the confidence of the side when you do win, but it's now about us keeping our feet on the ground because those two games we've had are history and now we focus on the next challenge.

"It's very easy to get carried away – it's human nature to get carried away – with what was achieved last weekend, in particular in the defensive performance, but the players haven't. They have really focused and understand the improvements we need to make, not only in attack but also in defence. Our line-speed has to improve because we allowed Australia to get over our line three times, and we have to stop that, which comes from improved line-speed.

"And this is one of those games where the set-piece battle is always huge and we have got to be able to dominate. Our lineout has gone well, but (Patricio] Albacete (Toulouse lock] is a quality lineout forward and he can destroy any lineout. The scrum has creaked on occasions, but I've been pretty pleased with how the scrum has been improving and developing; it's a work in progress.

"But this is the biggest challenge you can face – the Argentine scrum. So there is a lot there for us to start again with this week, particularly understanding the set-piece battle and breakdown battles."

He is aware that by winning his first two games he has lifted expectations immeasurably in a nation that lives for its fleeting moments competing with the best on the planet. His side started November ranked tenth in the world and if they win today will finish it in eighth, and with new heart for the RBS Six Nations Championship. But Robinson welcomes that.

"We have got expectations about how we're going to perform as well," he said of the team. "It's about everybody getting behind the team and the team getting behind itself as well. But we can take nothing for granted; we cannot assume anything going into this game.

"We have got to work hard against a very dangerous team, who I have a lot of respect for, in the culture of Argentine rugby, the way they play rugby, the amateur ethos that is there and the knowledge they have of the game. This is a major challenge but we have to rise to the challenge and answer all the questions Argentines pose, but also solve some of the problems we create."

This final match of 2009 will carry significance beyond the final whistle this afternoon as Scotland will tour Argentina next summer for another two-Test series and have been drawn to meet the Pumas in the World Cup in New Zealand in 2011. At the time of the draw, last December, Argentina were the top seeds in the pool, with England second and then the Scots, and Scotland's appearance in the third pot for the first time was of major concern. Now, however, Scotland have in their grasp the ability to heighten optimism for that tournament with their performances today and next summer.

But Robinson works hard to keep the players' eyes off future targets, and firmly focused on the immediate, not only within the 22 but beyond, and he is quick to praise those not in the 22 for buying into that concept and helping to create this month's success.

He is more interested in how the team establishes forward dominance today, how they back up a phenomenally disciplined display against the Wallabies that conceded just three penalties in the entire second half, and further develop trust in each other. He knows how it works, that winning does not come by accident, and the former teacher is keen to avoid Scottish minds wandering.

He added: "It's important we get used to winning, and understand how to win. It's important that everyone understands there is an expectation on them to go out and deliver, and not just as the underdog, or in a one-off performance.

"It's also about us just focusing on the next task, and not looking too far ahead of ourselves. Next game, next task, next training session, and then the focus of attention on the first 20 minutes, the first kicks-offs, first tackles, first ball-carries, and that is a learning experience for us all. We will all learn how to get the best out of the starting XV.

"We can lose to anybody, but we can beat anybody, and every time we play we are in the position where we can lose the game if we don't perform and we can win it if we do perform, and the recognition of that, that we're in control of that, is the important thing for me."

A win today would make Robinson the first Scotland coach to claim three-in-a-row from his opening trio of Test matches. Scottish sport can be heartened that we have a man at the helm who is not about to let the country's leading rugby players rest on their laurels.