Scots can grab that elusive second win if they have the right mindset
IS TODAY the most important match of the Six Nations for this Scotland team? I think it is. Emerge victorious today against Wales at Murrayfield and, while they don’t win anything tangible as it is only the second game of the Championship, they gain something vitally important — credibility. Lose it and then it will be the same old Scotland, good for a win against England but they can’t back it up. If I was in that changing room, the latter statement would be all the motivation required to ensure you did everything to get that win. Any win will do, even a scrappy 9-6, it doesn’t need to be pretty, Duhan van der Merwe doesn’t need to score a worldie, just find a way to win. Please. When you analyse this game, you can really look at it with the glass half-full or half-empty. If it’s half-empty, we have seen this movie before and we know the ending. Warren Gatland has never lost to Scotland and Scotland only seem to care about beating the Auld Enemy. Gatland has brought in some young players who are playing well for their clubs and he will wind them up to do what needs to get done. If the glass is half-full, then Scotland are in great shape for this game today and start as strong favourites. They played very well last Saturday, in attack and in defence, and they said all the right things after the game with feet firmly on the ground.
It wasn’t a one-off performance, either, as it came on the back off two good performances in the autumn Tests against New Zealand and Argentina. The Scots are currently trending positively with their performances. Throw in the mix that Wales were blown away by Ireland last week, especially in the first 20 minutes when the game was won, and all this feels like the glass is overflowing. International rugby puts you under pressure on many levels, with the obvious one being the physical test that it presents. Today will be no different. It will be physical and brutal at times. The mental test, though, will determine whether Scotland can get back-to-back wins for the first time since 1996. If they are right mentally, they have the players, the confidence and the home crowd to get this elusive second win. After 20 years, it is my last game for BBC TV today and I sincerely hope I am smiling at the end of it for all the right reasons!