We can feed off Irish fear factor
last time came at home to France in 2006. Only last season was a nine-game winless run in the competition brought to a halt against Italy.
And our last title triumph – in the old Five Nations – was in the last century, coming 18 years ago and on points difference.
Whenever tentative whispers of revival are triggered by encouraging November Tests they’re normally silenced by the thud of a wooden spoon.
So here we are once again. A dreaded feelgood factor has re-energised the egg chasers and it’s impossible not to be suckered into a belief that maybe, just maybe, this could be Scotland’s year.
After all, it’s time to go for the throat. It’s time for the prey to become the predator. Put simply, it’s time to claw back our pride.
Cotter’s farewell tour kicks off against Ireland at Murrayfield on Saturday and already the optimists are believing a win over a side who beat the All Blacks three months ago isn’t beyond our reach. This time they may actually be right. The current side bares little resemblance to teams of the past. Instead it boasts settled and talented personnel yet to unshackle their true potential.
Despite another glorious failure last November against Australia in the first of the Autumn Tests, wins over Argentina and Georgia ensured signs of progress continue apace.
It’s all starting to come to the boil for a squad packed with British and Irish Lions in waiting.
Stuart Hogg is a nailed- on certainty to be invited on this summer’s tour of New Zealand and there are contenders aplenty to join him.
But for a neck injury WP Nel would have almost certainly been in that party. Jonny Gray, Tommy Seymour and Finn Russell all have a better than decent chance of being on the plane though.
Sean Maitland is a favourite of Warren Gatland’s and is a better than outside bet along with Richie Gray. However, this could be a Six Vern Cotter insists the smell of fear can help Scotland get off to a Six Nations flyer against Ireland on Saturday. The Scots head coach hasn’t forgotten a record 40-10 defeat to Joe Schmidt’s side on their last visit to Edinburgh two years ago. It’s that memory Cotter will use to try to ensure Scotland are a force to be reckoned with in this Six Nations campaign. He said: “Ireland beat us by 30 points not so long ago, which is an indication of what we are up against. We need to be a little frightened of them – I think that’s good thing. We need to be on top of our game. “We probably have a little more strength in depth this year. We have lost WP Nel but that gives Nat ions in which the likes of Alex Dunbar and Huw Jones force thei r way into Lions reckoning. There you have it – worldclass operators apl ent y a nd enough on which to base a belief that this time the Six Nations will be different. All of these positives come with caveats though. Keeping skipper and ever-reliable kicker Greig Laidlaw as well as playmaker Finn Russell fit will be key.
Cotter needs his game-breakers and try scorers in merciless mood – the must go on the attack if the perennial game of pass the parcel with Italy for the wooden spoon is to be replaced with something better.
Scotland conceded 14 tries in five World Cup games in 2015 but since then our Achilles heel has been a habit of combining incomplete games with flashes of brilliance. Still, there are credible signs we’re capable of putting it all together.
It’s going to be quite an ask to make a genuine
challenge and it could be that a thirdplace finish – one bet t er than last season’s effort – is what we’ll have to be content with. England… are they invincible? Anything is possible with Eddie Jones at the helm.
But a man who last week said he suffered cuts and a black eye while shaving is more than capable of a stumble.
The Three Lions are favourites, Ireland should provide the nearest challenge and Wales along with France will be the danger in trying to get into the business end of the table. Italy will offer nothing more than nuisance value.
Cotter would do well to dust down an old quote from a predecessor in the shape of legend Jim Telfer ahead of his final Six Nations campaign.
He said: “From now on the page is turned. We’re in a new book, different attitudes. We’re honest with ourselves. We’re focused. From now on, kid gloves are off. It’s bare knuckle ****** stuff.
“And only at the end of the day will the man that’s standing on his feet win the ****** battle.”
It’s time for our would-be Lions to roar and the Saltires to soar.