Scotland coach Frank Hadden has conceded that his team’s performance in the 2007 RBS 6 Nations was a major disappointment which has hampered their World Cup preparations.
Scotland finished bottom of the championship table after four defeats and just one win, a 21-9 home success over Wales when Chris Paterson kicked all his side’s points.
Hadden admitted: “It’s hard to sit here and feel pleased about anything because we so desperately wanted to do better. We wanted to get three home wins and be challenging for the championship.
“But we didn’t, and in a similar way to last year, when we won three games but didn’t get carried away with that, on this occasion we are not going to get carried away at having not won three games. “We’ve got two more games – against Ireland and South Africa in August – to get a more settled team before the World Cup, and that is what we are now focusing on.
“Hopefully we won’t be hampered with the same kind of injury problems in those matches as we had before the start of the Six Nations, when we had 18 potential players out.”
Hadden was still able to look on the bright side of having so many injuries, adding: “One benefit of having had that to deal with during the last few months is that it has allowed a lot more guys to put their hand up for selection.
“Now that I have seen all these guys who have come into the squad and done well, I’ve got a much clearer picture of what our starting team should be when we are at full strength. That is a big plus for me.
“For me, the introduction of some of these young fellas, who are not only very talented but have a real physical presence, is something we have not had in Scotland for a long time, if ever.
“And while they are guilty of the rashness of inexperience, they give us a physical edge that we didn’t have before, and it increases our options for how we want to play the game.
“Having said that, while it might be fantastic that we have had a chance to see all these guys play at this level, I would much rather have had a settled side going into the Six Nations, and have won three or four of those matches before the World Cup.
“I suppose you just play with the cards you are dealt with, and you try to create that winning momentum with the guys you’ve got – but we failed, and we accept that.”
