Six Nations: Ross Ford inspired by winning words of Jason White

The 27-year-old hooker made his Scotland debut against Australia at the end of 2004 but had to wait over a year to play in the Six Nations. His second cap was off the bench against Wales in Cardiff and his third came as a replacement in the 2006 Calcutta Cup match, which Scotland won 18-12. The pre-match team talk from White that day is at the front of Ford’s mind.

Speaking at his first Scotland captain’s media conference, Ford said: “He [White] is someone I really look up to. He wasn’t a massive speaker but, when he did speak, it meant something. It wasn’t just for the sake of it and he backed it up by leading by example.

“You don’t have to shout and roar. Everybody was up for the game. It was just very controlled. He got across a few key points and then, once you hit the pitch, you saw what he was doing and you followed by example. That’s something I want to do on Saturday. That’s how I want to captain a team.”

Brown was initially named as the squad captain by coach Andy Robinson, but suffered a serious leg injury in Saracens’ Heineken Cup match in Treviso, which ruled him out of the entire championship.

However, Brown will join the squad tonight for a catch-up and Ford spoke of how he has already provided an input. Revealing three specific points that formed the core of his message to the players, Ford provided an insight into the qualities that impressed Robinson and earned him respect throughout the Scotland squad.

“I made a point when I knew I was getting the captaincy of discussing with Kelly things we felt were important to get across,” he said.

“Kelly is someone I speak to regularly. He’s someone I respect and like to get an opinion from. The first thing was energy within the squad, building that energy from training into games, celebrating the things we do well and building that as we go forward in the game.

“You often see after a good scrum the flankers giving the props or front five a pat on the back. A big hit, a turnover – celebrate that and make sure everyone gets a buzz from it because that can lift the squad. If you get that feeling going right through 60-70 minutes of a game it’s a massive benefit.

“I’ve been in games before where things are really going well for you, you’re buzzing and you feel unstoppable at times. Things come over you and, if you can get that energy within the squad, it’s a massive thing to have on your side.

“The next thing was standards,” he continued. “We feel it’s important to get standards in training and during the match. Standards which challenge us and, every time we go out, they are there to improve us and challenge whoever we’re playing. We want to push each other and go forward.

“That is something we are developing well and getting better at. We know when it’s not right. We don’t need to shout and roar at each other all the time. Sometimes a look is enough and you know you have to do better next time. That’s been developing over the past couple of years.

“The last thing was accountability, and everyone really taking responsibility for what they are doing during games, small things, like plugging on the inside, chasing a kick extra hard or just knowing your role in the team structure.

“Those are the things I’ve been going on about this week and will go over again come Saturday.”

A London-based journalist asked Ford whether he felt he would have an advantage over his counterpart, Chris Robshaw, the 25-year-old handed the leadership role by new England coach Stuart Lancaster after his first choice, Tom Wood, was ruled out of the first two matches by a foot injury.

Robshaw has only played once for England, more than two years ago, and revealed this week that he had never been to Murrayfield. Ford dismissed that, but agreed that the Murrayfield atmosphere was a unique experience.

“Chris Robshaw has captained Harlequins very well this season and, for me, it’s just about putting that performance into an international game. The same laws apply so it doesn’t matter whether you’ve got one cap or 50. It’s how you deal with this and put yourself into the game, and get the message across.

“My focus is to get my role going well and then pick up on things in training and illustrate what we’re looking for on Saturday.

“All the history and everything that goes with the game adds to it [the atmosphere], but the crowd is the big thing. Pretty much every Calcutta Cup I’ve been involved in has had a phenomenal atmosphere.

“It’s the noise that gets me. It is very enclosed and so the sound is just brilliant. It reverberates around the stadium and gets you when you come out of the tunnel. It might not look as if the crowd does a lot for you but, on the mental side, it does give you a boost, especially when you’re going well.”

He added: “The crowd love being involved in it and love to look back at previous games and bring that up but it’s important that we deliver a performance on Saturday that they are proud of and can really get behind and can contribute to that experience on the day.”