John Jeffrey demands top three finish for Scotland

In an exclusive interview with scotsman.com, as part of this week’s Scotsman Rugby Show, in association with Ginger Grouse, Jeffrey reflects on the past year in Scottish rugby, giving his verdict on the performances in the Six Nations, on tour in South Africa and through what he termed a disappointing autumn Test series. He believes that Scotland head coach Scott Johnson has developed good players for Scotland in 2013, but urges him to now cast off the experimental head and settle on the strongest side for a Six Nations tournament where anything less than third place would represent failure.

Now a Scottish Rugby Council member and chair of the IRB Referees Panel, Jeffrey also casts a glance over the Scottish club game where he joins the call for a move by Scottish clubs to summer rugby, bemoaning the fall in club attendances and insisting that playing from November to January is a waste of time for players and supporters in Scotland.

The full ten-minute interview is broken into five questions and we welcome your feedback on this split style of rugby show, with interviews with Gregor Townsend, the Glasgow coach, and Edinburgh’s Alan Solomons also featuring on the website, and a special round-up of 2013’s top club tries to come tomorrow.