SCOTLAND coach Frank Hadden is calling for the Six Nations rugby championship to be played on successive weekends.
After watching his side crash to a 12-26 defeat at Twickenham on Saturday, Hadden hit out at a tournament structure which has two fr
ee international dates built into the six-week format.
Hadden said: "I never thought I'd see the day when I'd say I wanted matches to be played week after week because I didn't think that would be good for Scotland.
"But the players would be with us all the time rather than what happens at the moment when they go off to (some) clubs and come back to us again."
Source of Hadden's angst is the fact that wealthier countries have either been able to contract players to home based teams or else strike a financial deal with clubs for player release.
"Weekly matches would suit us perfectly," said Hadden, aware that exiles were required to turn out between internationals while club-mates aligned to their Six Nations opponents rested up.
The reality is that Hadden's plea is likely to fall on deaf ears and in any case he now has an even bigger battle on his hands to convince bosses he should remain in post, assuming that is his wish.
Here, anyone reading the Twickenham programme on Saturday could not fail to be struck by one possible alternative option as Edinburgh coach Andy Robinson said in an interview that he would be willing to return to the Test scene one day.
While there is absolutely no suggestion that ex-England coach Robinson was putting himself forward for promotion within the Murrayfield set-up, his remarks do provide food for thought. And especially against the background of Hadden publicly acknowledging his position is up for debate.
Said Robinson: "I had six great years at international level and it was a phenomenal experience.
"The eve-of-match practice session in the empty stadium, the night-before nerves, the build-up on the morning of the game, the occasion itself – I'd be lying if I tried to make out I didn't miss it.
"I believe I have unfinished business in Test rugby and, if the right opportunity arises in the next five or ten years, then I'll go for it. But, equally, I'm enjoying the challenge of day-to-day coaching, the frustrations as well as the excitements.
"I still have an input into the Scotland team although it's purely advisory. All things considered I feel very involved in what's going on up here."
Regardless of Hadden's fate Robinson is certainly making noises the Murrayfield hierarchy will want to hear.
"Edinburgh and Glasgow are punching above their weight. There is obvious potential based around some very good young players working their way up the ladder. The trick now is for those players to learn how to win close games. They are not scared of opposing teams but there is a lack of consistency that will need to be sorted.
"This will happen over time but it takes three or four years and we need people to hold their nerve.
"Eventually players get sick of that ever-the-bridesmaid thing, of being the unlucky losers, and they find a way to take the crucial last step. I think that will happen with the teams in Scotland – and indeed with the Scotland side itself," said Robinson, whose comments can also be interpreted as meaning Hadden is on the right lines.
That's certainly the view of skipper Mike Blair who also told the Evening News he was keen to remain at the helm despite some suspicions that responsibility had hampered his playing performances.
Blair said: "There are bits of the job I enjoy doing. It is a tough time when results don't go for you but I have enjoyed being captain of Scotland.
"It is a massive honour. Of course I hope to do it in the future."
There are around eight months until Scotland's next assignment and from within the present squad comes acknowledgement that there will be plenty to work on.
Substitute Kelly Brown, whose arrival at half-time undoubtedly influenced Scotland's more competitive phases with his robust ball carrying and tackling, commendably held hands up and said with characteristic candour: "Unforced errors are still holding us back."
And Brown admitted: "We are not paid to be close, we are paid to win. "So we can take a lot of positives such as the defence at times – but we have to keep grafting hard and hopefully things will click."
Vowing on behalf of the dressing room that lessons will be learned Brown, a 30-cap breakaway forward, said: "We have said we haven't reached our potential yet.
"But, when we re-assemble, we have to move forward from the position where we got ourselves back to contest the final ten minutes to the extent that it could have gone either way – which hasn't always been the case for us at Twickenham."
Indeed Scotland had taken the field knowing that the average try concession to England in the last six London meetings, all of which they've lost, was standing at 4.66.
In the circumstances shipping only three touchdowns could be said to be an improvement, although the statistic about being longer in the game has to be seen against the fact they were only seven points down at half-time two years ago as opposed to 3-15 here.
Also the tries Scotland leaked were all calculated to cause sleepless nights starting with when the otherwise lively and composed Chris Paterson over-ran in his covering duties to let Ugo Monye cross near the cornerflag.
Similarly, Scotland might have won more line-outs than their foe but from one of two losses England pounced on a loose ball near the tail to set up field position which ended with Riki Flutey crossing. Nearly 50 minutes later the same miscommunications were evident in the third England try as a squint throw led to a scrum from which Matthew Tait eventually crossed.
If that was Scotland's self-destruct mode what of their profligacy, topped by an incident which had one former Scotland cap lamenting on Saturday night that when Mike Blair burst into space there appeared to be no dialogue involving the supporting Simon Danielli so that a golden chance was lost? On other occasions the breaking Danielli himself was unable to get away what could have been a scoring pass, and likewise Jason White.
Such are the margins, and the incident which summed up this catastrophe of a season for the Caledonian cock-up kings came early. As Thom Evans escaped up the left wing on a 50 metre break it was perhaps inevitable given what has gone before that a clear covering passage opened up for England wing Monye, who happened to be a 10.6sec 100 metre sprinter before turning to rugby, and the ex-athlete duly reeled in his opposite number in the nick of time.
After a match in which Paterson (three) and Phil Godman had shared the visiting points from penalties against rivals whose other points came from Toby Flood's boot as well as a Danny Care drop goal, Blair took the result on the chin with worthy stoicism. "Monye did a great job with a terrific covering tackle – but that is what wingers are there to do."
Indeed, and for all that Ally Dickinson burst his boiler to be up in support of Evans in a phenomenal effort which saw the prop rival Al Strokosch and fiery flanker Scott Gray for tartan top honours, when Scotland reach the same levels of alertness and poise they will be able to say they are back with a bang. Only then and definitely not before.
