KICKING king Chris Paterson has traced his astonishing success with the boot – at one stage he notched 36 out of 36 in Scottish colours last season – to a decision that saw a former Australian Rules specialist drafted in as a consultant.
Mick Byrne, now attached to the All Blacks, was brought on board by Murrayfield authorities at the beginning of the decade and Paterson reckons it was his good fortune to be starting out with Scotland around that time.
"There is an element of educ
ation which started with Mick Byrne and is now about me educating myself. I usually know why I miss a kick so I can make sure I get the next one.
"If you don't know what's wrong you can't fix it."
Paterson, re-signed by Edinburgh from Gloucester for the coming campaign, has also been explaining his his practice routine.
"I don't think it is any one thing. The biggest thing is practice. I know it's boring and I know it's simple but it's the truth.
"It's also about trust. The practice has to be meaningful in a sense that when I wasn't kicking well I'd practise but when it came to the game proper something would change.
"It's trusting that what you do in practice you have to do exactly the same when it comes to the game."
Paterson rejoins Edinburgh aged 30 as both Scottish cap
(88) and points record holder (690) – although the good news is that he regards himself as far from finished.
"Records are just a starting point. It's not finished. Well done, I've got a points record and well done I've got a cap record.
"But I want to work hard at the records I've set and make them as high as I an and hopefully they'll be harder to beat."
Despite going where no Scot has gone before, Paterson remains modest about his achievements.
"I find it hard to talk about myself. I find it difficult but the records mean so much to me, they do.
"I set goals as a youngster and anything I do I want to succeed at. I want to be the best I can be, but I find it hard to comment on anything I am good at.
"I don't want to be seen as someone who talks himself up. I just want to be the best I can be at what I do although, of course, it's nice to break records," Paterson went on.
"I had kicked on and off for Scotland but I didn't start doing the job properly until 2005.
"When I first started I thought to myself 'right, there's a target'.
"Gavin Hastings is an icon in Scottish rugby, people forget just how successful he was. He set a remarkable record so that was my first target.
"I don't share my goals with anyone. If I don't achieve them I won't have to admit any failings. It was a goal of mine to go through the World Cup 2007 without missing a kick and I said as much after our last game against Argentina.
"But I also admitted that it had been a goal to do exactly the same at RWC 2003 and I blew it by missing my very first kick against Japan."
Since then, Paterson's marksmanship, allied to a host of other talents – he is just two short of the Scottish record of 24 Test tries – has made him one of the first names down on the team-sheet apart from a blip at the start of this year when he was initially omitted for the visit to Wales.
Versatility, too, means he is more easily slotted in to the ranks while acknowledging that might have been a double-edged sword.
"It would have been easier to stick with one position," he said. "I don't think I'd have won as many caps but I would have been a more effective stand off."
The full article contains 663 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
