News

Cotter: Long road ahead for Scotland

VernCotter14SB800
Head coach Vern Cotter admits there are many hurdles for Scotland to overcome as he aims to stamp his mark on the nation before next year’s World Cup.

Head coach Vern Cotter admits there are many hurdles for Scotland to overcome as he aims to stamp his mark on the nation before next year’s World Cup.

Cotter took up the reins at Murrayfield in May and cast his eye over a 43-strong squad in Scotland’s summer tour.

There were wins against Argentina, Canada and the United States but the tour ended with a sobering 55-6 defeat to South Africa.

Now Cotter’s task is to gel together a team for the World Cup next September, of which the autumn and the 2015 RBS 6 Nations are sure to be crucial yardsticks.

And the New Zealander insists no stone will be left unturned in his bid to steer Scotland in the right direction.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do on all aspects – technical, tactical, physical,” Cotter told BBC Scotland.

“We’ll be using the autumn Tests as a measuring stick and we’ll get an idea of where we’re at.

“We’re not going to try and fool ourselves, we’ll assess where we’re at and try and get better.

“We need to have a positive and collective energy within Scotland to get us where we want to be, and that’s qualifying for a play-off place in the World Cup.

“We’ve got to be all together in this and really try and get past these hurdles and embrace the challenges.”

Visit our official RBS 6 Nations Instagram page to follow all the best images from the Championship