SCOTLAND RUGBY
DID many of the young Scottish players experiencing Wales’s Principality Stadium in February simply freeze when confronted by the loud, hostile atmosphere in the ground?
It might explain the dreadful result but, rest assured, this weekend there is going to be at least one player experiencing time on the pitch for the first time who says he knows what to expect and and he can cope.
Adam Hastings knows the ground as a spectator and believes that has given him a taste of what to expect when he almost certainly deputises for Finn Russell at fly-half in Saturday’s team.
“I have been there a few times when I was at school [at Millfield],” he said. “I have a lot of Welsh friends and would go to games with them. It is an amazing atmosphere, especially when the roof is closed. It is bouncing.
“They are very passionate fans the Welsh, lots of singing, shouting. We can expect it to be very loud but it is just noise, isn’t it? It shouldn’t affect you too much.
“When boys pull on an international jersey they are a different animal. Wales are a really good team. They’re physical and have some really good backs. It will be a tough game.”
It will certainly be a different atmosphere to the one when Hastings won his first cap in Canada in the summer, though he reckons playing in Argentina gives him a better feel for what to expect.
“I can take a lot of confidence from Argentina,” he said. “It was one of my better games on tour – a loud South American crowd and a pretty hostile environment. We can take confidence from that. It was a really good performance [a 44-15 win].
“I’m a proud Scotsman and it’s not nice to see your country lose [as they did in February], especially against Wales – I have a lot of Welsh mates. If I’m involved I’ll be wanting to win.”
Hastings is coming into the game in form, settling into the fly-half role with Glasgow Warriors so seamlessly the team has been able to shrug off the loss of Finn Russell.
“It’s just a confidence thing,” he said. “Last season, when I was playing I was not getting consistent game time. You maybe try too hard – or not hard enough because you might be scared to make mistakes. Now, I’ve been given time in the seat and Dave Rennie has backed me.”
The link with Doddie Weir also adds something to the game from Adam Hastings’ point of view.
His father, Gavin, played with Weir and is a personal friend. And his uncle, Scott, not only played at the same time but is a trustee for the My Name’5 Doddie charity that Weir set up to raise money for research into motor neurone disease, the condition he is suffering from.