Six Nations: Dan Parks was easy target for critics because he is Australian, says Jim Telfer

ONE of the reasons Dan Parks was not fully accepted by Scottish rugby supporters is because he is from Australia, according to two leading figures in the game.

Former Scotland player and coach Jim Telfer came to the defence of the stand-off after the often-criticised Parks called time on his international career three days after a poor performance in the disappointing Calcutta Cup defeat at Murrayfield on Saturday.

“Sadly I think it was hard for Dan to gain respect here because he was Australian and the fact that he was brought in by Matt Williams,” said Telfer. “The media and public in general have always been against him, I think largely because a lot of them wanted Chris Paterson to play there, and I always knew that Chris did not want to play there.

“He was a bit like Matt Williams, who was pilloried for everything he did, when Matt just said that Scottish players don’t have the basic skills and he was right.

“I do think that Dan would not have received the same criticism if he had been Scottish. He had a huge mountain to climb to earn the respect of the Scottish media and public. He played a certain way and Scotland picked him, but he played for eight seasons and over the piece he has been as good a stand-off as we’ve had in recent times.

“Unfortunately, Dan will be remembered for retiring after getting a kick charged down but it wasn’t Dan’s fault that Scotland lost the game. We were still only 10-6 down and had chances to score tries and win the game after that.

“Even Andy Robinson was culpable in that try because that was a pre-set move from the restart, called an ‘exit move’, and you see it all the time with other teams.

“But Dan did a lot of good things for Scotland and Scottish rugby and he should be remembered for them.”

Former Scotland No 8 John Beattie, now a broadcaster, admitted that Parks’ retirement had left him feeling uneasy about the way the player has been treated.

“It’s not the finest moment in the history of our game nor in our relationship with our players,” Beattie wrote on his blog on the BBC website.

“As a journalist and a fan I feel tarnished by this in a way I find hard to explain.

“If I am totally honest I suspect that even Dan Parks knew during his time in a blue jersey that he had limitations, but then so have we all and in all walks of life.

“But, because he was of Australian descent, I think Dan Parks has always been a more fragile target than he might otherwise had been.

“I know that might be an unacceptable thing to say, but just as in the treatment of Matt Williams, the Aussie who coached Scotland, the target was always easier because, probably, the target wasn’t going to stay in Scotland.

“I can’t help but feeling that of all the players Scotland has ever fielded, Dan Parks is the one player who has had more unwarranted criticism than any other. I don’t feel very proud.”