Six Nations 2010: Andy Robinson driven by dream of Calcutta Cup victory against England

By Alasdair Reid Published: 10:00PM GMT 06 March 2010

This way, lads: Andy Robinson needs a Scotland win at Murrayfield opposite England Photo: PA

"We"re going to have to be discerning given I"ve got to get to Glasgow for a dinner," he says. And afterwards he lets trip that it is being hosted by the Wooden Spoon Society.

His difference cling to in the air. Robinson has been perfected in his open utterances given he changed to Scotland only over dual years ago, so this is a mistake pas estimable of a Bateman cartoon: The Man Who Mentioned the Wooden Spoon in Edinburgh.

Scotland valid a point Walker and Webster at the behind of in the await "The Grudge" recalls Cup classical 1990 strife haunts England Sport on radio Andy Robinson competence get his punish

The burghers of Auld Reekie are only a small bit supportive on that theme right now. Robinson sent their hopes mountainous when he guided Scotland to an extraordinary win over Australia in November, but the group have lost all their 3 matches in the Six Nations and are right away staring at a bucket of whitewash. And, of course, the big wooden thing to stir it with.

And yet, the suicidal defeat opposite Wales and the underpowered opening opposite Italy will be lost if Robinson"s Scotland can disintegrate England at Murrayfield subsequent weekend. In the eyes of majority even the scrappiest feat would spin a unlucky deteriorate in to a resounding triumph.

It was ever thus. Except that this time the tie has acquired the majority appealing storyline in decades in the figure of Robinson himself. The tour that brought the former England manager to Murrayfield began when he was shown the doorway at Twickenham 3 years ago at the finish of a unequivocally open excoriation. He has not lost the demeanour of his exit or the men at the behind of it.

Martin Johnson, right away England manager, was in in between the majority outspoken of Robinson" s critics at the behind of then. Circumstances will no disbelief direct a grave handshake in in between the dual at a small point, but as family are rumoured to be on the freezing side of glacial it is doubtful to be one of the biggest shows of intercourse in in between the two, both hugely successful total in England"s World Cup delight of 2003.

Going in to a Calcutta Cup match, it has prolonged been insincere that the majority profitable technique for any Scotland manager is to press the nationalism button, to serve each genuine or illusory insult or violation heaped by the English on the Scots given Bannockburn. So how does Robinson understanding with the issue of his own Englishness? Has he dusted down the see-you-jimmy wig and brushed up the Mel Gibson accent?

"I won"t do that," he says firmly. "It would be wrong for me. But I would have no complaint with whatever the players or government contend in sequence to get themselves ready to play. I would await only what was said.

"It"s about removing a performance, so you"ve got to make use of each romantic motorist that is probable for Scotland to win. I"m here for Scotland to win. I"m not here for Scotland to lose."

Robinson was still coaching Edinburgh when Scotland won the 2008 compare opposite England at Murrayfield. In the aftermath, his mother Sam sought out Brian Moore a sharp censor of her husband"s stewardship of England and famously told him to "---- off." Robinson is a small some-more wary with his grudges. Yet during his time as England head manager he was on a stealing to zero with immaterial await from his Rugby Football Union employers. Among the some-more indeterminate rewards for his patience afterwards was to sense that one of his sons had been taunted about England"s performances during a propagandize game. Robinson still stiffens as he recalls that incident.

And yet, this majority ardent man understands that hot-headedness is not the key to violence England.

"I"m not playing," he sayss. "Any diversion we win is unequivocally satisfying. This one would be the same. I don"t feel any need to infer anything to any one in England. None at all. It"s not about me carrying to infer anything." Does he be concerned that his credentials will browbeat the build-up? "No," he shrugs. "It doesn"t regard me. You can"t shift my heritage, you can"t shift where I come from, while you competence similar to to from time to time.

"I"m here, I"m unequivocally enjoying what I"m doing, the work I"m you do with the players. Obviously I"m undone by the actuality we"ve lost a series of games, but I"m all about the challenge, all about station up and being counted.

"For everyone concerned in Scottish rugby, supporters, coaches, players, any one with a connection, we"ve all got to mount up and give all and kick what is a unequivocally great England side."

There was a time when Robinson would have looked the square in a John Bull outfit. There was additionally a time when he would have struggled with the thought of coaching any group opposite England.

So how only how Scottish is he now? He laughs at the question, afterwards mentions that his stream prime square of strain is Caledonia, Dougie McLean"s vivid anthem of the displaced.

""I don"t know if you can see/The changes that have come over me"". So starts the song. There shouldn"t be any disbelief subsequent weekend.