Scotland the brave

Before Scotland headed to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup, head coach Andy Robinson and team captain Al Kellock discussed strengths and strategy

ANDY ROBINSON, HEAD COACH
Is the World Cup the pinnacle of the game?
“It is because everybody looks forward to challenging themselves against the very best sides. It’s great that we have the RBS 6 Nations, which is a fantastic tournament in Europe, and it’s great that we have the autumn Internationals. But when you play in the World Cup, you’re playing against the very best, and the emerging nations, too.”

Are Scotland capable of beating the best in the world?
“What the past two years highlight for us is that we have the potential to beat any side. We’ve beaten three of the top four sides – Australia, South Africa and Ireland. It also highlights that we have to be at our best to win those games. We weren’t at our very best in the games in the RBS 6 Nations this year, and we got beaten. When we perform we have the ability to win any game.”

What does it take to win the World Cup?
“You’ve got to have a very good set-piece and be able to win the ball. You need a collective mind-set in the way that you defend. You have to come through the pressure moments and have good self-control. In attack, you’ve got to have the collective mind-set that you can attack from anywhere. You’ve got to be able to mix up your tactics, too, and play in many different ways. South Africa had that in 2007 and England had it in 2003.”

Do you agree that the All Blacks are favourites?
“No. I’m tipping Australia if it’s not to be Scotland. They’ve got great pace to their game.” Who are their key players?“I think the middle five are key – the back row, [scrum-half] Will Genia and [fly-half] Quade Cooper.”

Could there be a surprise package?
“Samoa. This is their last chance as a group. They performed well last autumn when we beat them with the last kick of the game and they put England under huge pressure. They’ve got some great ball players and off-loaders, and they hit well. I think they could be an exciting prospect.”

Why haven’t New Zealand done as well in World Cups as they might have?
“Teams analyse you and work out how to stop you. That has probably happened to New Zealand in the last couple of tournaments. Teams have thought, “Right, we’ve got to stop that.” Australia did it in 2003, France did it in 2007 and in 1995 South Africa beat them by understanding how to stop Jonah Lomu.”

What did you learn from touring New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions?
“It was quite an experience. As you first put your foot on the tarmac, you realised that the whole country was against you and the whole country was supporting New Zealand. That’s something that we’ll see again, right from the government through to the school children – everyone wants New Zealand to be successful. The last time they won the World Cup was in 1987 – the first ever, and it was on home soil. That home advantage is something that they’ll play to, but it could become a weakness for them because of the pressure and the scrutiny.”

Your current contract runs until 2015. After the World Cup, what is the 
goal for Scotland?
“Our aim is to be the number one team in the northern hemisphere. We play the RBS 6 Nations every year and that’s what our focus has to be – to be successful here.”

AL KELLOCK, CAPTAIN
How have the team’s World Cup preparation been going?
“It’s been great, it’s been very hard, but it’s always going to be. One thing we were made aware of was that everybody else is doing a similar pre-season. So we have to ask, “What’s going to set us apart? What’s going to make us different?” It’s about personal effort and it’s about the team spirit that we build up.”

Is team spirit one of Scotland’s main strengths?
“Team spirit, or the feeling of being part of a collective, for me is hugely important. Any team that’s been successful has had that, coupled with outstanding individuals, a very good game plan and great coaches.”

Who are favourites?
“The All Blacks. They’ve played the best rugby for the last few years. There’s been a lot of talk that they’ve not handled the pressure well in the last few years but they’ll know why and they’ll be fixing it. They will be very hard to stop.”

What are their strengths?
“The individuals, such as Dan Carter and Sonny Bill Williams. They probably have the best core game, the set piece is very strong, the contact work is exceptional, their kicking game’s brilliant, but in almost every position they can break a tackle and do something a little bit special.”

How will New Zealand deal with playing at home?
“If they use their crowd and the fact that they’ll know every stadium extremely well, then that can be a big positive.”

Who is your dark horse for the tournament?
“Ireland on their day are exceptional and will be looking to peak in this tournament.”

Back