Edinburgh – Scotland have included nine uncapped players in a squad of 31 for next month’s quadrangular international tournament in South Africa.
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‘Cookie’s a big b*****d,’ Telfer bellows. ‘He thinks he’s tough, OK. Drive him back into the bloody Tweed.’ His young charges do their best to obey against the accompaniment of the coach, who is now transported into a state of quasi-psychotic frenzy, shouting the mantra ‘low, low, low’.
New kit partner, Macron, will come on board in the summer to become official kit supplier for all Scotland representative teams and the professional clubs, Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors.
Erstwhile England No 8 Dean Ryan and Scotland hooker Stevie Scott will work alongside Johnson, defence coach Matt Taylor and specialist coaches Duncan Hodge and Massimo Cuttitta with the national team.
In front of a near capacity crowd at Pittodrie, Greig Laidlaw slotted five penalties from six but it was two tries from the visitors from the southern hemisphere that sealed the win and left Scotland to answer some very difficult questions about their performance.
The Scots host the Springboks after losing to New Zealand last Sunday. They need to win, and beat Tonga a week later, to secure a second seed berth for England in three years’ time. |
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Scott Johnson, the current head coach of the Scotland team has been appointed Director of Rugby for Scottish Rugby. The post has been described by Scottish Rugby as “absolutely integral to Scotland’s standing on the world stage in the next decade and beyond.”
Robert Harley, the 22-year-old Glasgow Warriors forward, will make his first start at Murrayfield and in the RBS 6 Nations Championship, in the Scotland team to play Italy on Saturday.
The snow is deep and crisp and dangerously uneven by health and safety standards, and Jim Telfer is barking out instructions like a rugby regimental sergeant major.
Former Scotland and Lions forward Nathan Hines believes that Scottish players could force themselves into contention for the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour even if Scotland fail to uncover significant improvement in the RBS Six Nations.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button told the story of a man who lived his life backwards, being born an old man before dying many years later as a newborn baby. Johnnie Beattie is doing something similar with his rugby career.
Former Glasgow Warriors boss Lineen, a member of the Scotland Grand Slam winning side of 1990, is one of the favourites to take over from Robinson who quit after Saturday’s humiliating defeat to Tonga.
Andy Robinson has ended his three-and-a-half year reign as Scotland’s head coach after a disappointing run of results. He was clearly stung by Scotland’s 21-15 defeat by Tonga on Saturday when he warned there would be “consequences”.
Scotland slumped to a third defeat in the EMC Tests as Tonga turned over the hosts in Aberdeen, recording a shock 15-21 victory in the North East.
Scotland have made a late change to their team for tomorrow’s EMC Test against Tonga at Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen. 
Australian lock Rob Simmons and New Zealand flanker Adam Thomson who both played for the their countries last weekend and were cited following acts of foul play will both be missing from their respective teams’ lineups this weekend. However, that is where the similarities end as Thomson received a one week ban for his stamp on Scotland’s Strokosch’s head, while Simmons received an eight week ban for a ‘tip/spear’ tackle on France’s Yannick Nyanga.
Centre Nick De Luca insists a victory over South Africa is not essential for Scotland’s World Cup hopes.