He has had a tremendous impact on the squad. The fact his own performance was so exceptional during the November Tests means he is coping well with the extra responsibility. |
He is now one of the senior pros in the side and his physical approach makes him ideal to lead by example. |
He will have to detach himself to some extent while still being one of the lads. |
I didn't think we'd continue to play so poorly, that sooner or later we'd start to execute better. We know that if we are going to crack the nut of an away win in the Six Nations we are going to have to execute with more accuracy next week in Rome. |
I never really saw us winning the championship, but I think we've done enough this year to convince people that we are a good side and there will be a lot of teams that won't relish the prospect of playing us in future. |
I said during the build up to the match that we would play well. We didn't play brilliantly but the guts and the commitment the guys displayed were outstanding. The important thing was that we knew we had a chance. |
I started thinking about South Africa two days after the Italy game in mid-March, that's just the nature of the beast. We've played a lot of physical teams in the last 12 months but this is the ultimate challenge for us physically and we're playing them in their own backyard, so it will be really tough. |
I think Chris started twice in the November matches and Mike came on after 20 minutes in the New Zealand game and performed exceptionally well - he deserves the opportunity to start this time. At stand-off, the most pertinent factor is that Gordon has only trained twice with Scotland this season while Dan has been consistent throughout. |
I was very impressed with MacLeod's play against Wales when he came off the bench. |
I will be speaking to my fellow coaches when we gather for the first time on Sunday night. We have a number of candidates and we will be assessing leadership qualities and their aptitude for the job over the next few weeks. |
I'm confident where we are. We have laid some very important foundation stones. We were never going to make dramatic progress in one season. I never thought we would win the championship this year, but we have done enough to make people believe we are a good side. |
I'm so proud. It was a sensational defensive effort. Make no mistake, England played pretty well today, but our defense was magnificent. |
I've long held the view that we have to best harness what we have by attacking in different ways. In the past, Scotland have had a restricted attacking strategy. They have not used all the possible areas of attack open to them. Wide, close, through the middle, through the boot - there are many options. You have to unsettle the opposition. |
I've said all along that we have three top quality performers in that position. Now is the opportunity for the other two to show what they can do. |
In Scotland, we can't afford to get too far ahead of ourselves and our entire focus will be on the first game. If we are as successful as we'd like to be in the first game, that can generate tremendous momentum. |