The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
To turn things around soon
later that it had always been planned.
“I thought I was going pretty well but the coaches had said to me to give everything for 60 minutes and leave nothing left,” he said.
“You never want to come off, but in the interests of the team if I’d played on for 10 minutes I would have been tiring.”
Interim head coach Scott Johnson came under critical fire afterwards but remained defiant about his selection policy. “I’m not going to be retracing my steps” he said repeatedly, and pleaded for more time for his young players.
“I am changing jobs in six weeks’ time, three games,” he said, referring to the now-impending arrival of Vern Cotter as head coach. “I could have taken the really easy option and try and get a competitive side just to see us through.
“I did not want to do that. I wanted to move Scotland towards having a really good international team.
“I am prepared to take what I feel are the kids that can take us on that ride.”
He won’t make sweep- ing changes for Rome, even though the pressure to replace some experienced players — such as Jim Hamilton and Ross Ford — is growing.
“I will tinker with the team but I am not going to make massive changes,” he said.
“The kids are gifted enough with a bit of front foot (ball) that it may come quicker than we all think. It may not be as quickly as you guys want it to be but we will get there and it will come quicker than people think.”