Scottish rugby legend Gary Armstrong says Gregor Townsend and Scotland are in good shape for the Six Nations - but it will be a tougher examination that Autumn Tests
It was the day Scotland nearly caused an upset against the All Blacks - but Saturday was a winning day for all of Scottish rugby, says Gary Armstrong
What a great start to the Autumn Tests, with a Scotland win, half a dozen tries, opposition that came at us and scored plenty of tries of their own, and a game that was nip and tuck right to the last whistle. Fantastic.
So, there we have it. The 2017 Six Nations Championship was a successful one for Scotland, with our expectations – which were never set unrealistically high – met, with three wins from our three home games against Ireland, Wales and on Saturday against the Italians.
We’re all looking for a wee pick-me-up after Saturday so here it is. At the start of the Six Nations, the vast majority of Scots said three home victories in the Six Nations would amount to a successful championship.
BIT of a spring in the step yesterday, you could say for the first time in 10 years. It had been a while since we’d managed to beat the Welsh, but while a great many of us thought it possible (rather than probable), the manner and margin of the win made it all the sweeter.
And you know something; see when all the aches and bumps and bruises come out, none of them will be as painful as the knowledge that, brave as Scotland were, that was a game they could – and maybe even should – have won.
It’s a nice change to make some calls, on how you see a match panning out, what you think the score and outcome might be, and, who will be the star turns – and then watching it all unfold before your eyes.
AS A player, I reckoned I played a part in some of rugby’s best half-back partnerships, with the likes of fellow Grand Slam winners Craig Chalmers, Rob Andrew, Jonny Wilkinson, and Gregor Townsend, who played outside me when we won the Five Nations in ’99.
How could you not be happy with Saturday's win over Georgia?
