Johnnie Beattie on Scotland
Scotland number eight, 38 caps, 2006-15
Getty
- Michael Potts
Scotland haven’t won the competition since it was the Five Nations in 1999, but I feel that this is the best crop of players and the best coached crop of players that we’ve probably ever had.
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In recent years, we’ve gone to Twickenham and won convincingly, gone to Paris and won, gone to Wales and won. It’s a very good time to be a Scottish rugby fan — even though we haven’t won a trophy.
At number 10, Finn Russell is pivotal to everything. He’s not the quickest, biggest or strongest, but all of his power comes from upstairs: his understanding of the game and his ability to read, distribute and pick off good options.
Finn Russell. Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
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Because of how the fixtures fall this year, it’s more open than it’s ever been. It’s going to be hard for anyone to pull off a grand slam. Scotland should be confident of aiming to finish in the top three. Is it time for Scotland to go one step further and win a championship? That would be absolutely tremendous. Is it guaranteed? Absolutely not.
IN A WORD: “Optimistic”
Authors
Michael PottsSport Editor
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
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