Duncan Smith reflects on the road to (and back) from Rome and where it all leaves Scotland and the 2020 Six Nations

Rugby fans in Rome ahead of the Italy v Scotland match on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images

She exaggerates, of course, as mothers often do. Cowering in a hotel room while Typhoon Hagibis and an earthquake wreaks havoc in Japan and being moderately aware of a viral pandemic taking place would be a stretch to turn into an Academy Award-winning Best Picture.

I was in London the day Princess Charlotte was born, too, after Edinburgh’s defeat in the European Challenge Cup final of 2015. And, in keeping with the royal theme and yesterday’s events at Waverley Station, I was on dish-wash duty at a Little Chef when a youthful Wills and Hazza popped in with security detail for an ‘Olympic Breakfast’ in the mid-90s.

In truth, the now deeply concerning coronavirus scare which hit Europe in Italy this weekend was background noise to the busy job at hand of covering what was a vital rugby match for Scotland.

Tom Hanks celebrates his Best Actor for Forrest Gump in 1994. Picture: Getty Images

For the 10,000 or so Scots who travelled to Rome and have now returned it would have been too. But things are now developing at pace and all we can do is wait and see. This writer travelled to Saturday’s game via Milan, with an extended stay at the train station after receiving a body temperature scan coming through the airport on the same plane as the Scotland Women’s squad, who little realised their game in nearby Legnano wouldn’t take place, due to the impending events.

Naively I assumed the test was some new-fangled eye-recognition equipment. Equally naively, I thought the numerous face masks on show at Stazione Centrale were a new fad. It was Milan Fashion Week after all.

Things became clear as the weekend unfolded but there was a rugby match to concentrate on and it was more Peroni than Corona on the legion of Scotland fans’ minds as they lapped up a beautiful weekend in the Eternal City. The Rome trip has developed a reputation as the “civilised” ‘wives and girlfriends’ leg of the Six Nations away-day weekends grand tour, although from this correspondent’s viewpoint in the Campo de' Fiori on Sunday don’t discount the WAGs penchant for a bit of mild debauchery!

Now back in more familiar chillier climes brings time for reflection. Coronavirus is casting a cloud. There is a feel of 2001 when the, in the scheme of things, much less serious, ‘foot and mouth’ outbreak rendered that year’s championship an anomaly.

This year has not been vintage. A lot of average games, teams in transition post-World Cup, Scotland in a real state of flux, Italy in an unbreakable losing spiral. The re-emergence of France as they unleash their young crop to build for a home World Cup in 2023 has been the sole spark so far.

For Scotland, it is a case of relief but no jubilation from that win in Rome. Stuart Hogg scored an absolute beauty of a try, but nobody has ever doubted he has that magic dust in his locker. Positives too in defence, setpiece and a feeling that some solid foundations are forming. But they must be built on, and quick.

Gregor Townsend is, as well as head, also the attack coach. He always acknowledges that and knows better than anybody that these butchered try-glaring opportunities cannot go on.

A great student of stories and philosophies from other sports perhaps Townsend is following the old football rule of getting the spine in place - sound keeper, good centre-backs, a midfield general - take some nil-nils, narrow defeats/wins, then build from there.

It goes without saying, though, that the whole Finn Russell saga hangs over everything currently. “We will see” was Townsend’s response when asked if the Racing 92 stand-off has a chance of being back for the scheduled France game at BT Murrayfield a week on Sunday. Seasoned followers of Townsend as player and coach would never second guess but a sudden healing of this rift would not seem worth even the most devil-may-care flutter at this point.

The news that Darcy Graham’s tournament is over with a knee injury is a blow but the 22-year-old has age on his side and is a raw talent who seems destined to have a big future in the international game.

The same can be said of Adam Hastings, whether Russell returns or not. He is an instinct player and, at 23, still honing his craft and has been thrust into a position he would never have expected to be in due to the recent wretched turn of events.

The way he gleefully took that breakaway try at the end of ‘a bad day at the office’ that many would have chucked in as a lost cause long before, was a glimpse at the character of a youthful talent who will bounce back with verve and zeal.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say, but it got there in the end.