THRILLS, SPILLS AND FALLOUTS
Sportsmail’s very own Three Wise Men look back on a crazy year in the world of rugby
THE coronavirus crisis has presented obvious challenges and disruptions to Scotland’s national team and the country’s two professional sides Edinburgh and Glasgow. But, with the exception of our amateur game, the show has largely carried on despite recent postponements at club level. Today, Sportsmail’s Three Wise Men — former Scotland captains ANDY NICOL, JASON WHITE and chief rugby writer ROB ROBERTSON — review the on-field action from what has been a tumultuous 12 months.
1. WHO WAS YOUR SCOTLAND PLAYER OF THE YEAR?
ANDY NICOL: It was tough to split Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson as they have both been outstanding for Scotland all calendar year. I will side with Watson but only just and, mainly, because he has carried the ball more effectively and given Scotland f r ont f oot ball on numerous occasions. I can’t remember the last time he didn’t make it over the gainline!
JASON WHITE: Jamie Ritchie, every game he has played for Scotland in 2020 he has performed at a minimum of an eight out of 10 and possibly higher. He has developed into one of the first names on the team sheet and looks like a future Scotland captain.
ROB ROBERTSON: It is no wonder Hamish Watson has attracted interest from big spending French side Racing 92. World class openside flankers are thin on the ground which makes him a hot property. He has played well for Scotland and on the occasions he has taken the field for Edinburgh — the latest being his man-of-thematch performance in t he Heineken Champions Cup win over Sale Sharks last weekend — he has impressed.
2. WHICH SCOTLAND PLAYER DIDN’T HIT THE HEIGHTS IN 2020?
AN: Finn Russell, because of the stance he took at the start of the Six Nations. He had issues with how things were conducted in the Scotland camp and, instead of trying to improve them from within, he went public and had a very public fall- out with coach Gregor Townsend. This was not the right way to deal with his issues but it was good to see that the break caused by Covid allowed them to kiss and make up. Sadly his comeback didn’t last long before he was injured.
JW: Huw Jones. He has been unable to secure a starting spot for Glasgow which would have given him the opportunity to nail down one of the centre positions for Scotland. He has shown on his day he can be one of the most devastating attackers in world rugby but a lack of consistency and opportunities have halted his progress in a Glasgow and a Scotland jersey.
RR: Scrum-half Ali Price has been one of the most f rustrating Scottish players of the past calendar year. There i s no question that he is international class but you expect more. He is a real live-wire but isn’t a gamechanger like Greig Laidlaw was. Once George Horne is fully fit and now that Sam Hidalgo-Clyne is doing well at Exeter, Price needs to make his presence felt much more during games.
3. WHAT MARK WOULD YOU GIVE GREGOR TOWNSEND IN YOUR END-OF-THE-YEAR REPORT CARD?
AN: The record is played nine, won five, so a positive win record in any calendar year is good for a Scotland coach, but especially after being knocked out of the World Cup before the knockout stage. I would give him B+. The defence and the maul have made huge improvements but the attack didn’t really function, especially in the Autumn Nations Cup. Russell or Adam Hastings at stand- off would help with the attack as it is almost there with exciting players out wide in Stuart Hogg and Duhan van der Merwe.
JW: Its a B+ for Gregor from me. The World Cup in Japan 2019 was a big disappointment and there were serious questions around Gregor from outside the SRU. We have made progress with our away victories, beating Wales away for the first time in 20-odd years and also beating France at home. The whole mess with Finn Russell and both parties being unable to f i nd a way f orward deprived Scotland of our most influential player for too long.
RR: It is a B- from me as although his team had a decent season, it really could have been s o much better. Scotland could have won t heir first two Six Nations g a mes — away to Ireland and at home to England — but mistakes f r om Stuart Hogg contributed to the defeats. New defensive coach Steve Tandy is making a big difference but there i s not enough variety i n the Scotland attack.
4. BEST SCOTLAND PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR AND WHY?
AN: Easy one for me; beating France at Murrayfield in the Six Nations. They have proved throughout 2020 that they are close to being the best team in the world with some of the best players in the world, with Dupont and Vakatawa to name just two. For sure, they had a player sent off in the first half but it was a great performance to beat France and Murrayfield was rocking that day! JW: Beating Wales away in the rescheduled Six Nations match in October. We have been very strong at Murrayfield but our away form has just not been good enough. Getting that victory will hopefully help the psyche of our players and let them kick on and challenge for the 2021 Six Nations title. RR: The Six Nations win over Wales i n Llanelli stands out. They may have beaten France at Murrayfield but it is the away wins that matter for Scotland as they don’t happen enough. What was encouraging was the way they managed to grind out a victory in a tight game.
5. WORST SCOTLAND PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR?
AN: The l ast game against Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup was disappointing because it felt like we had regressed to where we were in the World Cup against the same opposition. They bullied us and dominated us physically, which was an area in which I thought we had greatly improved. So this was a reality check for where Scotland are right now.
JW: The 13-6 defeat to England in February in the Six Nations. It was some of t he worst weather conditions I have seen a match played in, the type of game where the weather levelled everything up and, i n my opinion, Scotland should have won.
RR: After all the good work done during the year, it came to an end with a disappointing Nations Cup defeat to Ireland in Dublin. Once again consistency let Scotland down which is an old failing. They were only down 11-9 at the break but collapsed in the second half losing 31-16 in the end.
6. TRY OF THE YEAR. ANY COUNTRY OR CLUB, ANYWHERE.
AN: Jonny May’s individual try for England against Ireland from his own 22 in the Autumn Nations Cup. He showed really good footwork, electric pace and great skill to control his kick and chase to score what was an outstanding individual try.
JW: Some of the scores from my old team Cl er mon tin the European Cup versus Bristol earlier this month were impossible to defend against and showed that attacking rugby is possible rather than the kicking/territory game we have seen recently in international rugby. It finished 51-38 in the end for Clermont as they ran in seven tries.
RR: Georgia may have lost 23-10 to Ireland but their try was the best score of the Nations Cup. It was a superb solo effort from outside centre Giorgi Kveseladze. What made it extra special was that it showed that the Georgians have some real talent in their back division and are not just a bunch of forwards who try and bully the opposition into submission with their physicality.
7. WHAT MARK WOULD YOU GIVE EDINBURGH IN YOUR REPORT CARD?
AN: Definitely a year of two halves! They were very good in the first half, winning their conference, playing some really good rugby, and then the break for Covid happened. Since then, they have been pretty poor. The loss at home to Ulster in the Pro14 semi-final was devastating because they were in a position to win it. Getting to the final would have been a huge
boost for them and another step in their development, irrespective of what would have happened against Leinster. The new season has shown that the squad is not very deep as they have struggled when their internationals have been away with Scotland. Overall, I would give them a B (an average of an A for the first half and a C for the second).
JW: B+ as under Richard Cockerill they have developed into a hard team to beat. Finishing top of their group in the Pro14 and reaching the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup proved that with their strongest players available they are able to compete with the top teams in Europe. We saw during the restarted Pro14 running during the Autumn Nations Cup that the strength in depth is not as strong as the likes of Leinster. The upside is more youngsters have been exposed in that period. As we saw with the victory versus Sale j ust last weekend, t hey are capable of beating the best.
RR: They have done well under the circumstances and deserve pass marks for their efforts. The win over Sale Sharks showed their ability to hold their nerve and grind out victories. In the league, they badly missed their Scotland internationals during the Nations Cup and their results suffered accordingly. Jaco van der Walt is the only experienced fly-half on their books and has carried that burden well, with youngster Nathan Chamberlain getting better all the time. In saying that, they need an extra ten in case one of them gets i njured. Cockerill remains a hard taskmaster and both he and his team deserve a B for a better than average year.
8. WHAT MARK WOULD YOU GIVE GLASGOW IN YOUR REPORT CARD?
AN: It has not been a great calendar year for Glasgow. They missed out on the play-offs for the first time in years due to Covid, with only the top two in each conference going into the semi-finals. Since the new season started i t has been a horror show really and the lack of investment in the club by Scottish Rugby has been exacerbated by t he pandemic. Their squad has no depth, especially when the internationals are away, and they have had no luck with injuries — star signing Leone Nakarawa has not played yet this season and there have been injuries to key players like Richie Gray and Adam Hastings. I would give them a D.
JW: It has not been a good year for Glasgow, they have seen their best players leave the club and so far like-for-like replacements have not put pen to paper. New coach Danny Wilson has had a really tough start with a large number of his high-profile players on the injury list and, in a similar story to Edinburgh, the strength in depth is not there. Must do better — D+
RR: Yes, they must do better. But I am not convinced they will. Adam Hastings announcing last week he was joining Gloucester at the end of the season wouldn’t have helped confidence within the squad going into the New Year. Danny Wilson is a good man who is doing his best but he hasn’t had the proper backing from the SRU since he took over from David Rennie and Glasgow are struggling. They only deserve a D on their report card.
9. WHERE WILL SCOTLAND FINISH IN THE 2021 SIX NATIONS?
AN: If Scotland win three games in the Six Nations that would be a success as it means we will have beaten two teams ranked above us in the world rankings. We have three games at Murrayfield so those are the ones to focus on, then we can hope and pray for what happens in London and Paris! Winning t hree games normally means that you finish third or fourth.
JW: We should win all of our homes games t his year but victories against England and France away are a step too far at the moment. Three victories and some losing bonus points should see us finish in third place.
RR: Scotland drew 38-38 against England i n that f amous Six Nations game at Twickenham two years ago, so let’s not be too hasty in writing them off in that one. Three home wins over Wales, Italy and Ireland can be achieved, although France away could be a step too far. but a losing bonus point could be achieved. They won’t win the Six Nations but Scotland could finish second this year and, if not, they should finish third. 10. WHAT SCOTS DO YOU EXPECT TO BE PART OF THE BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS TRAVELLING PARTY TO TAKE ON WORLD CHAMPIONS SOUTH AFRICA?
AN: Definites for me are Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell . Probables include Rory
Sutherland, Jamie Ritchie. Possibles — Stuart McInally/ Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Oli Kebble, Jonny Gray, Hamish Watson, Duhan van der Merwe. JW: There is a difference between what I expect and what I hope, as Lions coach Warrren Gatland has not gone with any Scots if it has been a 50/50 call. The following players are most definitely good enough — Hamish Watson, Jamie Ritchie, Rory Sutherland, Zander Fagerson, Johnny Gray, Finn Russell, Stuart Hogg, Duhan van der Merwe. However, in this Six Nations they need some really big performances versus France and England away to get our largest Scottish contingent in the Lions squad for a number of years. RR: Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell will definitely go on the tour. Hamish Watson, Zander Fagerson, Jamie Ritchie and Jonny Gray should but there will be lots of competition in their positions so it is certainly not a foregone conclusion that they will make it. Strong showings for Scotland in t he u p c o mi n g Six Nations will bring South A f r i c a n - born wi n g e r Duhan van der Merwe and Sam Skinner of Exeter Chiefs, who can play in the second row or in the back row, into contention for a place.