Good World Cup '˜may not equate strong Scots Six Nations'

Former Scotland captain Gavin Hastingshas cautioned supporters that the team's encouraging World Cup does not necessarily mean Six Nations success.

Gavin Hastings is wary of expectations being too high. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The legendary former Lions full-back expects the Calcutta Cup opener at BT Murrayfield a week tomorrow to be a formidable test and says Scotland’s previous dismal Six Nations efforts mean confidence should be tempered with a healthy dose of realism.

“Our record has been woeful over the last number of years,” said the 1990 Grand Slam hero. “Notwithstanding how well we did at the World Cup, it’s certainly no guarantee that we’re going to do well at the Six Nations. It’s tough to perform and win games, especially when you haven’t been on a regular basis. There is a lot of optimism but it’s not easy to just suddenly find the pace of Test rugby, so I would urge caution to the supporters as far as expectations are concerned.”

Centre Alex Dunbar and back-rower Adam Ashe have returned to Glasgow Warriors after being ruled out of the first part of the Six Nations with a thigh strain and shoulder injury respectively. Peter Horne is also expected to miss the England game and Mark Bennett is rated just 50-50.