Blair joins impressive list of leaders at No9

Scrum-half skippers offer their advice to new kid on the block

MIKE Blair is the first scrum-half to be appointed Scotland captain since Bryan Redpath retired from Test rugby in 2003, and he joins a small but perfectly formed group of No 9s who have led their country to Dublin.



It is a position which seems well-suited to leading a side, yet, in over 130 years of Test rugby, Scotland have only been skippered by 13 scrum-halves before today. There have been some great scrum-halves who never had the honour and times recently when one wondered whether it was a prerequisite for captaincy to be a scrum-half as Redpath, Andy Nicol and Gary Armstrong vied to lead the team through the 1990s. In the 1980s Roy Laidlaw was the only scrum-half captain in Test matches, while Dougie Morgan was the No 9s standard-bearer in the decade before.



All are naturally delighted to see another of their brethren take on the responsibility, with Blair being appointed to lead the side in the absence of Jason White against Ireland this evening, and all have memories of the Emerald Isle. Armstrong was, like Blair, first handed the captaincy for a Test match in Dublin, ten years ago, and he helped inspire Scotland to a 17-16 victory at Lansdowne Road. Alan Tait, the current assistant coach, was Scotland’s try-scorer that day.



Redpath, his Borders rival, recalls leading the Scotland A side to an 11-9 victory over their Irish counterparts at Donnybrook that same weekend in a rare double triumph. Intriguingly, his young apprentice at Gloucester, Rory Lawson, captained the A team, albeit back in Perth, last night.



Laidlaw famously had a part of Lansdowne Road hailed as ‘Laidlaw’s Corner’ by Scots after scoring five tries at Lansdowne Road – six of his seven Test tries were against Ireland – while Morgan also captained Scotland for the first time in Dublin. He recalls, somewhat painfully, how he took the decision to run a penalty in front of the Irish posts, which came to nothing, and heard the final whistle sound moments later to signify a 12-9 win for the hosts.



Here Armstrong, Redpath and Morgan recall their Dublin days and shares their hopes for Blair.

DOUGIE MORGAN

21 caps from 1973 to 1978,

four as captain



“I can still remember clearly deciding to run that penalty in front of the posts at Lansdowne Road in 1978 – 30 years ago! We were down 12-9 and I was captain, scrum-half and goal-kicker, and I’d kicked three penalties to keep it tight.



“Then we got a penalty which I knew I could kick, and level it, but I also knew there would be no time for any more scores and so I decided we should run it. Had we put the ball through the hands to the wing we’d have scored and won the game, but we didn’t and the chance was lost; the game was lost.



“As captain I took a lot of ‘banter’ shall we say after that, but I stand by it – I still maintain I’d do the same again in the same position, and have faith that this time we’d score. We’d had a good run from 1973 to 1978, and had created a real Fortress Murrayfield, but that was our third defeat on the trot, which went on to become eight in a row – I didn’t play again after 1978.



“I was involved with the Scotland management when Mike Blair first came on the scene; we took him to the USA on a summer tour in 2002, and I remember thinking he was very immature. The boys let him know that he had to grow up a bit, but he was young, and it has been great to watch him mature and develop into a quality player.



“He will have his own way of doing things, but I’d like to see him take responsibility in the way he plays today – make some box-kicks, get the Irish turning and relieve some of the pressure on Chris Paterson. To be fair, Mike hasn’t had his best time for Scotland lately, but if he, and the senior players can give the team a good start, this could be the start of them turning it around.



“I wish Mike well. It’s not easy as a captain – you have to be bold and make decisions, and some you win, some you lose. Many still remember my decision in 1978, but that was just one that didn’t work out. And it did please Mike Gibson – he said later that I was the first Scot to be awarded the Irish Sportsman of the Year award!”



BRYAN REDPATH

60 caps from 1993 to 2003,

21 as captain



“This is a daunting challenge for a new captain – leading the team for the first time, in the Six Nations, away to Ireland and at Croke Park. I don’t know whether the pressure will affect Mike, because I don’t know him well enough, but I do believe he has the ability to do the job and it will help the team to have their captain in the 9 jersey.



“It is easier to captain the team from scrum-half because you are that link between forwards and backs anyway, and Mike has the skills to do it well because he is a decent communicator.



“Traditionally, Scotland have always played with a tempo in their game and the scrum-half is a good indicator of whether it’s up or down, and he’s the spark for getting things going when you need it to. I always tried to get other people into the game rather than trying to stand out personally, and the captaincy gave me the responsibility to do that, to talk and get people to work for me, or with me.



“I’ve got a lot of respect for Mike. I think he’s a very talented player and is someone who can make things happen, but the problem for him recently has been the team trying to play too much around the breakdown area, which is a lot easier to defend; Scotland’s game inevitably gets narrower and it’s harder for him then to shine.



“I saw his qualities as a youngster coming through in Scotland, and he, Chris Cusiter and Rory Lawson have all got attributes to make them good captains, so, although Jason White will be due back soon, I can see a few more scrum-half captains in the future.



“I remember winning the man of the match award in my first start in Dublin, when we won in 1996; I captained Scotland A there in 1998 and then had a poor game as captain in 2000, when we were well beaten, and was subbed. If it goes wrong you have to accept it and put your hand up.



“When you look around this Scotland team there are not that many that leap out as potential captains, but we need leaders; we need the senior players to step forward. Mike has to trust players like Nathan Hines and Ally Hogg, and Chris Paterson and Andy Henderson outside him, and they have to support him and help spread the load today.



“Mike has to focus on doing his job right first and foremost, and providing a captain’s lead in what he does as much as from what he says. He doesn’t call the lineouts, nor the back moves, Chris will decide whether or not he kicks at goal mostly, so Mike should not worry that he has to do everything.



“Yes, if things go poorly, then people will look at him for answers and direction, and it’s tough – a lot of it is trial and error. But Mike is just one player and, like all captains, he needs others to perform. Scotland have to have at least 12 top performances to have a chance, and Mike needs to be one of them.



“I’m delighted for him – these are days you dream of – and now’s as good a time as ever for Mike to take the mantle on.”



GARY ARMSTRONG

51 caps from 1988 to 1999,

14 as captain



“My first game as Scotland captain was against Ireland in Dublin in 1998 and, like now, we weren’t going well up to then. We had lost four games on the trot before that, but it ended in a 17-16 win – our last over there. Alan Tait scored our only try and it turned out to be our only victory in 1998, but it felt good to mark my first game as captain with a win.



“Hopefully, that will work for Mike today. I don’t think Jason White has been leading from the front the way he used to, anyway, so I’m glad to see a change in captain. Mike has the experience of captaining Edinburgh a few times, and he’s been there long enough to get the respect of the players, which is important, and if he’s like me he’ll want to set the tone for them to follow.



“There’s loads of hype around Croke Park, and around the championship, but at the end of the day it’s a game of rugby. When Mike gets out there he’ll have crucial decisions to make, but he’ll do that like any other game – some will be wrong, some will be right.



“It is a special day for Mike especially to be lead Scotland at Croke Park. I did it at Hampden Park and Wembley Stadium, which was great, and the important thing is that you enjoy it. Not that many people get to play for Scotland and very few get the chance to captain their country, but Mike deserves this because of the effort he has put in and the improvements he has made in his game.



“He will have his work cut out with Eoin Reddan, who has been very impressive so far, but I’d just say: ‘Be decisive and lead the team, Mike’. And there is one thing that he will not fear as much as I did – speaking at the dinner afterwards. Mike’s always got plenty to say and hopefully he’s in great fettle tonight!”