Six Nations: Sir Clive Woodward blasts Scots ‘gamesmanship’ ahead of Calcutta Cup

The director of sport for the British Olympic Association has warned that interim England coach Stuart Lancaster “must beware Murrayfield”.

With Scotland coach Andy Robinson having refused to withdraw his claim about English “arrogance,” Woodward jokingly referred to his fellow Englishman – and former boss at Bath RFC – as “McRobinson,” and said that he disliked visiting Murrayfield, admitting that “relief came in leaving the place knowing that it was two years before you had to go back”.

Woodward said: “Lancaster will find that everything is set up to frustrate the away team. Slap bang in the middle of the away dressing room is a massive square pillar of at least 15 feet in width. It makes it so hard to address the room and really difficult to operate as a team.

“It was certainly not holding up the roof, but if you really want to disrupt a preparation, then put in a whacking great pillar. Strangely, there is no pillar in the Scotland dressing room.”

Woodward also criticised the “hundreds and hundreds” of bagpipers disrupting England’s warm-up, and also the Scottish tactics in trying to unsettle their visitors.

He said: “I used to spend ages clarifying exactly when the teams were meant to be emerging, but we always came off second best. I can recall England taking the field, side-stepping the hundreds of pipers at our end, then going to my seat and waiting at least five minutes with no sign of the Scottish team.

“Eventually, I ran back into the tunnel to find the referee vainly banging on the Scotland door, which they had locked. I demanded that the referee, who was doing his nut, gave us a penalty from halfway to start the game but even he laughed at that. Well, it was worth a try. Eventually, the door opened and the Scottish team walked out quietly, and totally focused.”

Woodward’s account of that incident is true, but leaves out one detail, according to Andy Nicol, the former Scotland captain who will be working for the BBC during the Six Nations.

Nicol said: “I was actually standing in the tunnel for the BBC when he did that and I remember it well.

“The pitch was full of pipers, and he’s right, there was very little room for England to run into.

“Then when he came down into the tunnel to get Scotland out, he was faced with six more pipers in their busbies coming out ahead of the Scotland team – the shock on his face was hilarious. He is also correct that there is a pillar in the away dressing room and not in the Scotland changing room, but every home team should take what advantage it can.

“There are always mind games going on before internationals, and I think this is just Clive trying to create a bit more tension before the match on Saturday.”

Woodward, 56, coached England to victory in the 2003 World Cup, after which he was knighted. He was somewhat less successful as head coach of the British and Irish Lions who lost all three Tests in New Zealand in 2005, but there has been talk of him returning to the English rugby fold after the Olympics in London.

Former successful Lions captain – his men won the 1989 Test series in Australia - and Scotland legend Finlay Calder doesn’t think there will be any Scottish psychological ‘tricks’ before the Calcutta Cup match on Saturday.

Calder said: “All this is just Clive being Clive, and who knows why he says these things, or what his future is?

“I don’t think there will be any of that sort of mind games stuff happening on Saturday, as I genuinely don’t think Andy Robinson is bothered about that sort of thing.

“I don’t think we should get too worked up about what Clive is suggesting – let’s just get on with the game.”

Woodward has form with these complaints. After the Calcutta Cup match of 2004, which then world champions England won handsomely, he criticised the pre-match fireworks, glitter on the pitch, and the 300 pipers.

“It’s a sporting event, not a pop concert,” said Woodward.