Matt Williams technically took over in December 2003 but presided over no games until 2004. Scotland competed in the Five Nations from the inaugural tournament in 1883, winning it 14 times outrightincluding the last Five Nations in 1999and sharing it another 8. This is where the majority of our population resides and they , up till recently, knew little of rugby. The home of Scottish Rugby Union on BBC Sport online. [7], The period after World War Two was not a successful one for Scotland. We are in a different era. New Additions! World Cup 1986 - Inter-Confederation Play-Off. read . against the US, Ireland in 2018, Wales in the 2018 AIs, SA or close (and, if were being a wee bit childish, totally unjust), such as against NZ. How to watch France vs Scotland TV channel: In the UK, France vs Scotland is being broadcast live and free-to-air on ITV1, with coverage beginning at 2:15pm GMT ahead of a 3pm kick-off. This was a significant departure from the traditional colours of blue and white, although purple is inspired from the thistle flower. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Your local club or referee society would love to welcome you. Scotland and Wales play each other at least once a year, as both have been in the Six Nations Championship, and its predecessor competitions.. [51][52] By April 2005, Scotland had won only three out of 17 matches under Williams. It was written by Roy Williamson of The Corries in 1967, and adopted by the SRU to replace "God Save the Queen". Not only are they one of the most successful sides in the Six Nations, Scotland can also boast a number of trophies in their honours list and the national side has featured some of the all-time rugby greats. [121] The Famous Grouse did maintain a low profile link to the Scottish Rugby Union by becoming the main spirit sponsor. Rieko Ioane and TJ Perenara were both. The Scottish presenter . It also appears that the difference between a good performance and a bad performance nowadays is more mental than to do with skills or physicality, or even quality of players. [129][130], Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Scotland national XV at test level up until 19 November 2022. 1985-10-16. [66] They then defeated England in the Calcutta Cup with a 159 victory[67] before succumbing to Italy, avoiding the wooden spoon only on scoring difference. Rory is the editor of Scottish Rugby Blog, and has offered a fan's view on Scottish Rugby since founding the blog in 2007. The English could hardly ignore such a challenge and this led to the first-ever rugby international match being played at Academical Cricket Club's ground at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, on Monday 27 March 1871. Sign-up for our newsletter today to receive the latest updates, content and releases from Scottish Rugby. Scotland. Ten matches were played over five weekends between 18 January and 15 March. [39] Since then they have qualified for the quarter-finals in all but two occasions, in 2011 and 2019. [116] This change strip was replaced by the traditional white one just two years later. Terms and conditions may apply. [62] This was Italy's biggest ever victory over Scotland, home or away. Discover RugbyPass+ premium articles, the best rugby content from award-winning journalists, pundits, top coaches and the biggest stars of the game. Gregor Townsend took over as head coach in June 2017. His first fixture as head coach was against Italy in Singapore where Scotland won 3413. Four former Scotland players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame: Eight former Scotland players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame:[137], Twenty-three former Scotland players have been inducted into the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame:[138]. This was first used against the New Zealand Mori on 14 November 1998. [25] Scotland toured Australia in July 1982 and won the first test, Scotland's first away victory against any of the big three Southern Hemisphere sides. On the other hand Ireland had win rates of 54.1, 81.8 and 91.66% which means Scotland would be heavy underdogs even at home. Speedy winger Tulako scored the second try in Scotlands 21-0 win against France, one of 15 tries he bagged for his country in 37 appearances. The 1986 Five Nations Championship was the fifty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. This deal is thought to be worth a tenth of the original cost and forbids the Scottish Rugby Union from affiliating itself from any other whisky manufacturer. [60] In the final match against Australia, Scotland failed to impress, with Australia winning 4415. [23] Jim Telfer stood down after the Grand Slam to concentrate on his professional career as a school master. If we can beat or at least get parity with England, Ireland or Wales in these areas in the 6N, it will give us a massive psychological boost ahead of the world cup. Among other benefits, this means we can absorb injuries far better than we used to. Di Rollo Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. [76], Scotland had a poor showing in the 2011 Six Nations, winning just one match, a 218 victory over Italy. Rugby Union; . 1994 was the nadir, with a Win/Loss/Draw record of 0/6/1 (7%= 1/2 a win). List of England national rugby union team matches. Then they looked at the same metric for the top rugby nations across the last 3 years to see if that helps to figure out who will win the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. Numbers of interest Youngest player : Ewan ASHMAN - 22 years old Oldest player : Wp NEL - 36 years old Average : 28 years old Lightest player : George HORNE - 79 kg Heaviest player : Simon BERGHAN - 126 kg [30] Derrick Grant was then appointed head coach. He demolished the opposition long before WP. For an optimal reading experience we recommend a modern browser | He is also involved on the board with London Scottish. Scotland earned narrow wins in Dublin and Cardiff but a 21-0 home victory over France bolstered confidence, as did the recall of only their second ever grand slam six years earlier, to the day,. Today marks the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Scottish Rugby Union. Different rules, set up, feed structure, registered players per nation ,coaching even pay and rumuneration. Opposing Teams For Against Date Venue Status . Corporate Hospitality. [109] A week later Scotland registered a record win over the Wallabies, who played with 14 men for the majority of the game after Kepu's dismissal, inflicting eight tries on the visitors in what was the Australian hooker Stephen Moore's final international game. Tweet it ! The Scotland national Club XV rugby union team is one of several national rugby union teams behind the Scottish national side. Colin Telfer took over for a year before being succeeded by Derrick Grant in the autumn of 1985. *as represented by a squiggly line and some guesswork. Fellow ruggers website Rugby4Cast took a look at the pre-World Cup form guide earlier in the month, by analysing the win rates of the Rugby World Cup winning teams in the years leading up to those wins. The Auld Alliance Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Scotland France match in the Six Nations tournament. Ireland is the current holder. Its 30 years since Tony Stanger planted the ball down for a try that sealed the 1990 Five Nations Grand Slam, and it remains perhaps the most famous try in Scotlands history. 1st Dec 2021, 7:38am. [28], Scotland recovered their form in 1984 and achieved their second Grand Slam, and their first since 1925, under the captaincy of Jim Aitken. The gainline-busting Cardiff Rugby loosehead has been one of the form players in the URC and he wants his opportunity with Wales. The stadium has been developed over the years with the East Stand built in 1983, the new North and South stands in 1993 and a redeveloped West Stand completed in 1994. The championship winner was Ireland, winning their tenth title (excluding eight other shared titles); it would prove to be their last in 24 years, until their Grand Slam in 2009. $20.00 Scotland Rugby LS Raglan T-Shirt. [18], Scotland were the first of the Home Unions to run a truly nationwide club league. [6], In 1897 land was purchased by the SFU at Inverleith, Edinburgh. Live. Scotland is the current holder. Scotland's Grand Slam rugby squads of 1984 and 1990 are to be reunited at Edinburgh dinner, and you could join them EDINBURGH and Scotland rugby fans are in for an exciting time this May. Traditionally this is a white jersey with navy blue shorts and socks. Crosbie at Edinburgh, perhaps Bradbury to get a good run of games if not involved with Scotland. Along with Armstrong, Paul Burnell was part of the Scotland team that won the Grand Slam in 1990 and the Championship nine years later. [89], In August 2016 it was announced that Gregor Townsend would replace Vern Cotter as Scotland head coach in June 2017 when his contract expired. In the eagerly anticipated Calcutta Cup tie against England at Twickenham,[105] however, Scotland were thrashed 6121. Sign-up nature of Rennies selections (9 centre combinations in half a season?! Big, bulky and quick, Derek White was a force to be reckoned with at No.8, scoring 11 tries in 42 Scotland appearances. He won 40 caps and also toured with the Lions in 1989, alongside his fellow Scottish back-rowers Finlay Calder and Derek White. [23] The establishment of the national leagues in 197374 was beginning to bear fruit; the standard of club and district rugby was higher than ever and players were more accustomed to experiencing pressure in matches where the result really mattered. The Triple Crown is awarded to the Scotland, England, Ireland or Wales national side if they can beat the other three 'Home Nation' sides in the Six Nations tournament of that year. Scotland did however score ninety-five unanswered points across two wins against Samoa and Russia. Not only are they one of the most successful sides in the Six Nations, Scotland can also boast a number of trophies in their honours list and the national side has featured some of the all-time rugby greats.On this page you can find out more about the Scotland Rugby team such as the teams history and what the current squad looks like. Robinson took the reins in 2009 after Frank Hadden stepped down. Liek it or not, Glasgow need to be competing in order to draw kids from football to rugby . The Calcutta Cup is awarded to the winner of the Scotland England match in the Six Nations tournament. From memory it was when guys like Grigg, Johnson and Cummings started getting game time at Glasgow. ", "Rugby stats & records Scotland, Six Nations, 2000", "Scotland players say sack Matt Williams now", "SRU's giant leap backwards Departing Mackay forecasts 'tragedy' if Anderton goes", "Lamont launches Scotland into orbit as favourites fall flat at the first", "There's no Robinson pressure, insists Hadden", "Rugby stats & records Scotland Autumn internationals 2010", "Rugby World Cup 2011: Scotland 3424 Romania", "Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool B: Scotland 156 Georgia", "Rugby World Cup 2011: Argentina 1312 Scotland", "Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland - BBC Sport", "Scotland pick up Six Nations wooden spoon after losing to Italy", "Rugby stats & records Scotland summer tour 2012", "Andy Robinson quits as Scotland's rugby coach", "Scotland appoint Scott Johnson as interim head coach for 6 Nations and South Africa tour", "Interim head coach Scott Johnson named director of rugby", "More Six Nations despair for Scotland but new era under Vern Cotter looms", "Scotland 3712 Tonga: Vern Cotter happy with display", "Six Nations: Scotland must adapt after whitewash", "Preview: Cotter's Scotland a team with potential to roar at Rugby World Cup", "Rugby World Cup 2015 quarter-final: Live - Wallabies v Scotland", "Australia 35 Scotland 34, match report: Agony for Scots as last-minute Bernard Foley penalty snatches late victory", "Rugby World Cup 2015: 'Craig Joubert wrong to award penalty', "Italy vs Scotland match report: Scots put two years of misery behind them", "Scotland beat Japan 2116 in Tokyo to seal series victory", "2017 Six Nations: Scotland 2722 Ireland", "Match report Scotland 27 22 Ireland", "England vs Scotland: Hardest Twickenham test yet for edgy Eddie Jones", "Six Nations 2017: England 6121 Scotland", "Scotland edge hard-fought victory over Samoa in 11-try thriller", "All Blacks made to work for victory over plucky Scotland", "Scotland make Wallabies pay for Kepu's moment of madness", "Rugby World Cup 2019: Scotland accuse All Blacks of 'undue influence' in cancellation decision", "England 611 Scotland: Finn Russell orchestrates first Scottish win at Twickenham since 1983", "Scotland 2425 Wales: Visitors roar to narrow victory at Murrayfield", "The Scottish Thistle Beautifully Bold! [97], Scotland achieved 100 points for the first time in defeating a Japan side 1008 on 13 November 2004. Bowl Final: Scotland (26) v (24) Japan Shield Final: Spain (19) v (14) Wales Qualifier Final: Ireland (28) v (7) Hong Kong. [91] The three autumn tests held at Murrayfield during November yielded wins over Argentina and Tonga, and a narrow defeat against New Zealand. There are three out of the first four World Cup years present in the 10 best years, which suggests that playing extra fixtures against Tier 2 sides in a year perhaps boosted the score a bit, but as the general standard of world rugby (and World Cups) has improved over time this has had less effect. Not sure thats true can you even name 5 domestic players whove made the step up to playing pro rugby in the last five years that werent in the Scotland U18 setup, far less U20s? ), so it would be interesting to see if less variety in selections results in less variance in results. [63], Scotland opened their 2008 Six Nations campaign losing 276 to France at home. They are now core players for Glasgow and fringe Scotland players. Olympic Park Stadium. October 2023 Saturday 7th October World Cup. [47][48][49] In 2004 Williams attempted to introduce a controversial "Fortress Scotland" policy, whereby only those currently playing in Scotland were eligible to play in the national team. Webster This meant that Scott Johnson would remain as Interim Coach until the end of that year's Six Nations Championship. 4) Vern Cotter appointed as Scotland coach On October 30 Scotland lost the third-place play-off to New Zealand in Cardiff 13-6. Victory over Samoa in November 2017[108] was followed by a breathtaking performance against New Zealand at a sold-out Murrayfield. Secure your tickets for Scotland's home fixtures against Wales, Italy & Ireland this April at DAM Health Stadium. [128] The previous record had been 890 against Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in the first round of Rugby World Cup 1995. The national Club XV takes the best players from club rugby in Scotland to form a side that regularly competes with a similar Ireland Club XV. '1985 NORWICH CITY MILK CUP FINAL'. His ten-year international career brought two World Cup appearances and a 1989 Lions tour. The Cup is unique in that it is competed for annually only by England and Scotland. Photo Credit: Alastair Ross / Novantae Photography, Agree Neil.Rory a natural to step in amidst disasterin his stride, Agree Ruggers I cant help but feel each time we fail to beat Ireland next time it gets tougherand its, Edinburgh have 3 games left for a total of 15 points to collect. It was his kick that set-up Stangers try against England, while he also kicked a penalty against France. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the ninety-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. [139] Vern Cotter was announced as Scottish Head coach but would not take up on the role until June 2014 as he had one year left on his contract with Clermont Auvergne. [12] Scotland suffered 17 successive defeats between February 1951 and February 1955, scored only 54 points in these 17 games: 11 tries, six conversions, and four penalties. The official website of the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States of America. For each nation's squad for the 1986 Five Nations Championship, see, Last edited on 1 September 2022, at 22:01, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1986_Five_Nations_Championship&oldid=1107980763, This page was last edited on 1 September 2022, at 22:01. A fourth year with a win rate above 50% for 2019 would make them the most consistently successful Scottish team of the modern era, silverware notwithstanding. Of course I am assuming the pro14 will start during the World Cup- havent actually checked thats the case! On Friday, Scotland will aim to emulate the titans of 22 years ago, the last men's side to claim victory on French soil. Scotland have won three Grand Slams (including the Triple Crown) in 1925, 1984 and 1990, in addition to a further seven Triple Crowns. [6] Scotland have won the title outright 14 times and shared the championship a further eight times. Scotland won 5324, their biggest ever margin of victory over Australia. Occasional wins were recorded against Wales, Ireland and France. Sign-up for our newsletter today to receive the latest updates, content and releases from Scottish Rugby. [40] This was Scotland's first win in Paris since 1969. Will we get a chance to see if it works? This was Scotland's first win in Australia since 1982 and the first time in 30 years that Scotland defeated Australia more than once in a row. Danielli A former lorry driver in the amateur era, Armstrong returned to the lorry business after his rugby career ended while also trying his hand at farming. They lost to England in the semi-final held at Murrayfield to a Rob Andrew drop goal. [21], In 1977 Nairn McEwan succeeded Bill Dickinson as national coach. The son of a Ukrainian father and Italian mother, he was born and educated in Edinburgh and became one of their greatest wingers. [55], In the first match of the 2006 Six Nations campaign, against France, Scotland won 2016,[56] and this was the first time since 1999 that they had beaten France. Scotland won the match 27-0. The victory was made more notable by the list of absentees, such as Stuart Hogg and Grieg Laidlaw, who were in New Zealand on Lions' duty. ", "Rugby fans' anger over Scotland's red and yellow kit", "Cap that for a benefit after new sponsorship package", "All Blacks wrap up sale of the century. He is trailing far ahead, as the next highest point. Teams from across Scotland compete during the season, until a lucky few are left to battle it out for the silverware on rugby's Super Saturday at the end of April. [23][29] He lasted just over a year, enduring a whitewash in the 1985 Five Nations, before resigning to concentrate on his business. Scotlands graph looked about as reasonable as youd expect (vaguely upwards after 2015), to which your correspondent scoffed and said yeah but what about the noughties? In front of around 4000 spectators, the Scots won the encounter by a try (made by Angus Buchanan) and a goal (made by William Cross) to a solitary try scored by England (a points scoring system had not then been devised so only the goal counted towards the 10 score). Rugby : opposing team statistics Argentina 7's and Fiji 7's. . For example we are worlds away from a backline like: Blair [7] In January 1946, Scotland played and defeated a strong New Zealand Armed Forces team by 116. [citation needed], In the 2017 Six Nations, Scotland saw a marked improvement in performance with three home wins and two away defeats. We have the lowest registered playing base in the whole of the 6 nations . Armed with some figures from ESPN Scrum and a spreadsheet, here is our own graph of the Scotland rugby team win rate throughout the Rugby World Cup era, since 1987. Who is number 9 Scotland rugby? 1985-11-20. [17], In 1971 the SRU appointed Bill Dickinson as their head coach, after years of avoidance, as it was their belief that rugby should remain an amateur sport. As of 6 February 2023, Scotland are 5th in the World Rugby Rankings.[1]. Interesting and thought provoking article. This was when the first official international game was played against England now a fierce rival at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh, in which the Scots came out on top, winning in front of a crowd of around 4,000 spectators.In the many years between this first victory and the present, the Scotland rugby team today now holds a number of titles and famous wins to its name. [71] Scotland's form picked up with a 2310 victory over Fiji[72] and a memorable 98 win against Australia (the first win over the Wallabies for 27 years) at Murrayfield. Senior advisor to several US based investment funds.<br><br>Served in Public office as Undersecretary of Energy and Secretary of Finance of the Province of Buenos Aires both under President Macri. Scottish Rugby. In 2020, Lineen coached the Scotland Under-20s side in the Six Nations. On the occasion that Scotland is the home side and the opposing team normally wears dark colours, Scotland will use its change strip. It just goes to show what the right systems, coaching and the momentum gained from winning in pro team rugby can lead to at international level, including age group level, where our relative success over the next 5 years or so is (sadly) completely unprecedented. The game versus Japan was played at the home of St Johnstone F.C., McDiarmid Park, Perth. BT became the primary shirt sponsor as part of the 20million deal signed in 2014. His son, Adam Hastings, is a current Scotland international. Download this stock image: England players Delon Armitage and Toby Flood celebrate after defeating Scotland in Rugby World Cup game in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. John Rutherford, the team's general and controlling influence, had injured his knee on an unauthorised tour of Bermuda. In 1991 Scotland finished a record 4th in the World Cup but the year overall is no great shakes based on looking just at win-rate. This championship marked a turnaround in the fortunes of the Irish team who won the competition the previous year, but took home the wooden spoon. Defensively, we also need to tighten up and cut out the basic errors. This roster includes legendary names like former Scotland captain Andy Irvine and former British Lions captain Gavin Hastings. We salute those pioneers who ignited the rugby flame and all those who have kept it burning brightly since. This represents the first time since that 1990s heyday where Scotland have kept a win rate above 50% for 3 years running. This combination was explosive and Scotland went on to beat England 137 and win the Five Nations Championship with a Grand Slam. 6) Rennie and Cockerill being appointed at the two pro teams RUGBY WORLD VERDICT Stuart Hogg gets to wear the ten jersey for the first time and leads a backline designed to fit the attacking mantra "go, go, go!" However they perform defensively, speed going forward is at the heart of their approach. They were eliminated in the quarter-final against New Zealand. In their first 6Ns game, Scotland went in with confidence to win their first opening match for eleven years against Ireland in a close match at Murrayfield Stadium. He was elected chairman of Stewart's Melville in 2018. Scotland played Australia in the quarter-finals, and with 30 seconds remaining led 3432, having benefited from an incorrect refereeing decision that resulted in Scotland's second try. He retired in 2005 and went onto coach English teams Chinnor and Esher, before moving to work for a security firm. [23] Fewer players were being selected from English clubs to represent Scotland as the domestic game was producing an adequate number of players of genuine international class for the first time since the First World War. I dont think we need statistics to tell us that we have depth in almost every position. [117] In 1997 a new deal saw the Grouse logo appear on the Scotland jersey. Depending on how the Scottish Cup pans out (a painful exit to Hearts this term is a blot on Johnson's copybook), fifth could even be enough for the Europa Conference League qualifiers, so being . Copyright Scottish Rugby Union Limited 2023. (To see ourselves as others see us might be an interesting theme coming uP to Burns day Rory). Calder scored Scotland's first try in their 21-0 win against France, one of just two for his country. Scotland has a rich history of producing quality scrum-halves, and Gary Armstrong, Grand Slam-winner in 1990 and Five Nations champion in 1999, takes the number nine jersey ahead of Roy Laidlaw. Edinburghs revival seems to be a similar story of recurring despair/doldrums to revitalisation. The history of the team extends back to 1871 when the Scottish rugby team played their first official test match, winning 10 against England at Raeburn Place. Most encouraging is the presence of the last three years in this top ten. The very first Scotland national rugby union team can be traced back to the 1870s, despite the sport first appearing in the country back in the 1850s. Armed with some figures from ESPN Scrum and a spreadsheet, here is our own graph of the Scotland rugby team win rate throughout the Rugby World Cup era, since 1987. Scotland v Ireland view match upcoming match 2023 Under-20 Six Nations - 19 Mar 2023 - Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow Scotland v Italy view match upcoming match 2023 Guinness Six Nations - 12 Mar 2023 - BT Murrayfield Scotland v Ireland view match upcoming match 2023 Guinness Six Nations - 18 Mar 2023 - BT Murrayfield Scotland v Italy view match The lock played club rugby for Edinburgh Academical and Nottingham, where he set up shop as a dentist. Their best finish came in 1991, where they lost to the All Blacks in the third place play-off. A word of warning before you make your lists of which ones were off to win, I think at least one regular poster will not only be making lists of which games well win, but also squads for each game in the coming year. We really need to find a way to get on top of the tough defending teams and break them down, rather than kicking away all our possession when we run out of ideas in attack. Sponsors' massive #30m shirt deal puts all the others in the shade", "Famous Grouse puts SRU fears to flight with new deal", "Famous Grouse ends sponsor deal with Scots rugby team", "Rangers owner says rugby is in his heart as he puts 2.7m into the SRU", "BT completes Scottish Rugby portfolio as Scotland's front of shirt sponsor", "Scottish Rugby signs Peter Vardy Group as new Principal Partner & Scotland shirt sponsor", "Edinburgh, Roseburn Street, Murrayfield Stadium", "Scottish Flashback: Murrayfield in the snow, 1963", "Paterson's haul lifts Scotland to first century", "Rugby stats & Records Scotland test match record by opponent", "Four uncapped players in Scotland squad in 2023 Guiness Six Nations", "Scotland: Gregor Townsend to take over from Vern Cotter as head coach", https://www.scottishrugby.org/squads/scotland-men/, https://www.theoffsideline.com/scotland-pete-horne-brad-mooar/, Favourites find Scotland grit hard to swallow: Scotland 18 England 12, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scotland_national_rugby_union_team&oldid=1142937018, This page was last edited on 5 March 2023, at 02:56. Scotland have traditionally worn navy blue jerseys, white shorts and blue socks. In the first year of using "Flower of Scotland" as an anthem, Scotland walked onto the pitch at the beginning of the Five Nations Championship deciding match against England. Scotland play at Murrayfield Stadium which is the largest sports stadium in Scotland and with a capacity of 67,144 - the fifth largest in the UK. The Rugby World Cup was introduced in 1987 and Scotland have competed in all nine competitions, the most recent being in 2019, where they failed to reach the quarter-finals. [13], The teams from 1955 to 1963 were an improvement. Scotland: 0: 0: 15/03/1930: Twickenham, London: Five Nations: 1931 Scores and results list England's points tally first. Matches . In short, I am not sure what this is telling us in isolation. In 1995, the year the game turned professional, Scotland actually won more games and came much closer to a World Cup semi. [citation needed] These teams play in international club competitions such as the Heineken Cup and the Pro14. But since Macron took over as kit supplier, the number fonts on the back of their kits were Arial rounded MT bold (or Oswald Bold, during the 2015 Rugby World Cup). [95] Scotland played well at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England; qualifying from their group by beating Japan, USA and Samoa, although they lost to South Africa. However, the Scots have yet to win the Six Nations outright, its 15 titles, 10 Triple Crowns and three Grand Slams in this competitions history have only come in its previous formats. Looks like Cockers will have at least Schoeman, Fordy and Mata to build a pack around which is a pretty decent start. I think it both prepares young players for pro rugby more effectively and makes it harder for those not selected for acadies. [6] They also contest the Calcutta Cup with England as part of the championship. [24] The team benefited from consistent selection 12 players took part in all four Five Nations matches,[23] and of the 20 players used in total throughout only two played for clubs outwith Scotland. [22] However, he was only able to win one international in his three years in charge. [88] On 27 May 2013, it was announced that Vern Cotter would become head coach of Scotland, but the SRU had to wait until 2014 as club Clermont failed to reach an agreement with the SRU to release Cotter a year early from his contract. What might surprise is the absence here of 2015 which was by far our best effort at a recent World Cup but which was counteracted by an awful 6 Nations; Scotland went into that World Cup with only 2 warm-up wins over Italy to their name, out of 9 matches. Both sides had won all their Five Nations fixtures, and England were overwhelming favourites despite being the away side. He is now a director of a flooring company.