Speed the key for Robinson

Andy Robinson
12 April 2012

Head coach Andy Robinson will demand his Scotland side play with pace, but with composure amid the mayhem, in the RBS 6 Nations clash with England at Murrayfield.

Scotland are seeking a second win in 13 attempts on the opening day in order to continue England's wait for a first success in Edinburgh since 2004 and reclaim the Calcutta Cup.

Robinson said: "That's how you win rugby matches - it's about the speed you play the game at. To disrupt the opposition with that speed and the chaotic nature of the game is important. It's also about being able to keep your heads as well, to play within that chaos."

Scotland and England last met in Auckland in October, with Robinson's team eliminated from the World Cup as a result of a last-gasp 16-12 defeat.

The former England head coach is eager to improve on his two wins in 10 Six Nations matches as Scotland boss - a record he has described as "unacceptable" - and knows a successful opening weekend is key to a strong championship.

He added: "For everybody in the championship you want to get off to a winning start. We've not achieved that in the two years that I've been here. People talk about the potential and the ability we have, but it's about delivering results. We've not done that in previous championships and it's important we do that on Saturday.

"What we haven't done in the World Cup and in previous championships early on is take the opportunities.When we create those chances, it's time for us to take them."

Robinson is set to persist with the expansive tactics which have so far failed to bring consistent success.

Much of the focus will be on fly-half Dan Parks, who in his 66 previous caps has proven his ability as a kicking playmaker, but questions remain in some quarters over whether he can command a running game.

Parks is included as one of eight changes to the side which began the Eden Park match, with wing Lee Jones set to win his first cap and lock Jim Hamilton, flanker Ross Rennie, number eight David Denton, scrum-half Chris Cusiter, centre Nick De Luca and full-back Rory Lamont all promoted to the starting XV.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in