Brush with junta fails to curb zeal of Anderson

Having indulged in the sort of prank typical of a young student, the Ulsterman found himself arrested and being threatened with execution.

Now employed by the SRU as Scotland’s new forwards coach, Anderson is still uncomfortable talking about his brush with a brutal dictatorship which culminated in his spending four months in a South American jail 24 years ago.

He recalls: "Myself and a friend were walking back from a game in Buenos Aires and I had a Canadian flag from the year before in my student accommodation and when we saw an Argentine one, we thought we’d get up the flagpole and get it. We were reported by someone who, as it turned out, perjured himself because he hadn’t seen us do it. I took the rap but my mate remained anonymous because of his work.

"It was tough, especially when the British Consulate informed me that the Argentines wanted to execute me, so getting out was a relief. There was a silver lining for me - my girlfriend Heather wrote to me which kept me going, and we got married so I prefer to remember that part of the story. I remember though when the Falklands happened two years later I said to someone ‘I could have told you there was going to be a war there!’"

Having survived that, Anderson was unlikely to be fazed by the prospect of licking the Scottish pack into shape.

The former Ireland No8 took over from Todd Blackadder in the summer and, alongside national coach Matt Williams, he has quickly set about instilling his beliefs into over 30 forwards. An honest and straight-forward individual, Anderson’s opinions have often sparked controversy.

In conversation this week, he proffered the view that retired England Test stalwarts Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Neil Back should not be selected for next year’s Lions tour of New Zealand.

"No way," he insists. "I don’t believe that players not involved in Test rugby can now be Lions standard.

"The Zurich Premiership is a good league, but it’s not Test rugby, like the challenge of playing France which they’ll miss, so whether they are or were great players doesn’t matter - if they’re not playing international rugby they shouldn’t be considered in my opinion."

It is a sure bet that Anderson’s forthright manner has caught some of his new charges off-guard, and while there were a few squeals during the first ‘taster’ sessions he took with the squad on the summer tour of Australia - where he continued scrummage training in the dark with the help of car headlights - there appears to be a warming enthusiasm to his hard and intense, but positive approach.

Anderson exudes an air of calm as he discusses his past as a player and coach, old Scottish-Irish games and, interestingly, how he sees Scottish rugby heading upwards towards success while Irish fortunes begin to tail off. But every now and then his famed zeal escapes from the large, 6ft 5in frame and the voice cranks up a few decibels.

"I still think that the passion is the driver in sport," he enthused, "the emotion inside one. You have to be committed in rugby, committed to make that tackle or burst through the tackle, but then comes the technique - you have to be able to do the next bit very precisely to win games. Passion alone with Ireland up to four or five years ago used to take us to 60 minutes, and there are many similarities with Scotland in their approach, the passion of the Celt, but while we have some very talented and passionate guys here, we have to get them to increase their fitness, core skills and their confidence, which started to come in Australia. As a former teacher, and having gone through it in Ireland, I know these are the bits that take time."

There is some irony in the fact that the former Ireland assistant coach, with his reputation for calling a spade a spade, could prove the diplomatic foil for Scotland’s slick new head coach, Matt Williams. The Australian has courted censure from supporters with bullish, damning indictments of the past, but Anderson is less critical of a history and traditions in a country he feels is strongly connected to his own.

He explains: "My honesty is probably my strongest trait. I have got to say what I feel - I did as a player and it’s the same as a coach. It can be a very good thing, but can also get you into a tad of difficulty because people want to hear what they want to hear rather than the truth sometimes.

"I do feel an affinity with Scottish rugby. I remember battles with John Jeffrey, Iain Paxton and John Beattie and the enjoyable times after the match as well. We also won the Triple Crown here in 1995, and my ancestors come from Paisley.

"But what brought me here was the opportunity to coach at the highest level and having had success with Matt before, winning the Celtic League and reaching the Heineken Cup semi-finals, I knew I could work well with him. I also think I bring other qualities to this job than just passion and honesty. I have experience and am technically-minded. I want perfection, precision, and I am very passionate now about Scotland players doing things precisely and well. I’m a winner - I don’t like to lose."

Despite a few very low points in his life, Anderson is a buoyant, optimistic soul with a positive approach which has already left a mark on the Scotland squad.

"That’s the way I think you have to approach life whether in rugby or not. People can get depressed and talk about the game being better when I played it, but every decade is brilliant for the people who were in it.

"I still wonder at the Barbarians games, and Welsh side of the 1970s, which was fantastic with fantastic individuals, but you’re talking about three-times Lions there. Let’s talk about the three-times Lions starting from now - Brian O'Driscoll maybe, Chris Cusiter, Simon Taylor, Gordon Bulloch, Ally Hogg, Scott Murray? Ireland has produced a few world-class players like O’Driscoll who can win games and spark confidence, but these guys should be that in Scotland.

"There have been problems with the transition to professionalism, but what we’ve got here now is the same as Ireland had about three years ago. Ulster’s run to the Heineken Cup was a turning point which got people in behind pro rugby in Ireland. We need that here now because at the top level Matt has a four-year philosophy and a clear game-plan I’m very encouraged by.

"I see as much talent here as there is in Ireland, and in some key positions like prop we have more quality than the Irish. All we need is to get over these few waves and focus on Scotland."