HAMISH’S HURT
Italy clash brings mixed emotions for Watson
YOU don’t have to ask Hamish Watson twice when Italy last won a match in the Six Nations. He remembers far too easily for his liking because, unfortunately, it came on his Scotland debut. What should have been a special moment had the shine removed by the shock Italy victory at BT Murrayfield back in 2015.
To add to his woes, Watson picked up a yellow card as the Scots lost 22-19 after Italy were awarded a match-winning penalty try in the last minute.
Twenty-four Six Nations matches have passed since that last Italian tournament win, and Watson is determined to make sure he doesn’t finish on the losing side in what will be his 30th cap.
‘It’s a lovely stat that I lost, so thanks for mentioning it,’ said Watson with a wry smile.
‘I was also yellow-carded in that game, so that’s another memory. It was in the last minute and it was a team yellow — so they just picked the guy who got to his feet last.
‘It was actually an alright debut — apart from that — but people remember that moment. If this was my second cap, then I’d probably be thinking about the game but it was a long time ago and we were in a bad place during that Six Nations.
‘It was my Test debut, so I look back fondly on the memory whether
we lost or not. But it’s not something I think about now.’ What he does think about, however, is the immediate task in hand, which is to beat Italy and take a bit of pressure off head coach Gregor Townsend and the whole team.
Italy lost heavily to Wales in their opening Six Nations game in Cardiff but gave a much better account of themselves in the defeat to France in Paris.
Scotland have opened their tournament with a poor display in defeat to Ireland in Dublin and a narrow loss to England at Murrayfield, where conditions were so bad it was difficult to read too much into the way either team played.
‘Yes, we are under a bit of pressure but, even if we had won our opening two games, then we would still be under a massive pressure going to Italy,’ said Watson (right). ‘It’s always a game that’s tough and we know it’s one they target as well.
‘The Italians looked really good against France last week but they started slowly against Wales in their opening game.
‘We know how hard it is playing against the Welsh away from home. We are all professionals, so it’s about how you handle any pressure. ‘We need to go to Rome and show we can handle it. ‘If we win in Italy, then our tournament is back on track. ‘We also know that if we go there underprepared and not up for the challenge, then we will get beaten. ‘We’ve had some tough games in Rome, which could have swung either way. We know how tough they will be at home given they have not won a game since 2015 — but we will go there and treat Italy as though they have won every match.’
Watson is regarded as one of the best openside flankers in world rugby and will have a major role to play in the Stadio Olimpico when he joins his back-row colleagues Jamie Ritchie, who will play on the blindside, and Magnus Bradbury, who will start at No8.
‘Jamie and Maggie have brought something to the party and bring a bit of difference to our play,’ declared Watson.
‘Jamie had his breakthrough season last year but Maggie was capped a few seasons back and it took him a bit longer to break through.
‘Now he has broken through, we all know what he can do on the ball.
‘He is a very physical ball carrier, 120 kilos of aggressive player, and that’s why his coach at Edinburgh, Richard Cockerill, loves him.
‘He is great in the line-out and Jamie’s awesome there, too, so he is also a big threat.
‘I think that Jamie is a pest to play against, but luckily he is on my side and I feel there is a good balance to our back row right now.’
Watson believes that although Greig Laidlaw, John Barclay and Tommy Seymour have all retired from international rugby, the increasing influence of younger talent such as Bradbury and Ritchie
We were in a bad place. But it was my Test debut and I look back fondly on it
has given the whole Scotland squad a boost.
‘It’s important to have that young blood coming in as they are all really ambitious, as we all are, and they freshen up things,’ added Watson.
‘It’s a shame to lose the people we did during the summer through retirement but that’s professional sport. Every player’s career comes to an end eventually and it’s about how you adapt to that.
‘We have lost our first two games but we have played pretty decent in both of them.
‘I know it’s an annoying thing to say but I think we could, and maybe should, have won both of them.
‘We are a close-knit group and we are doing well off the field. It’s a matter of time before we put in a few really good performances and start winning games.’