Robbo's Passionate About Rugby, and Scotland!

High in the Murrayfield stands a proud, patriotic Englishman sat during the last Calcutta Cup rugby match between Scotland and England and marvelled at the passion shown by the locals, not just on the pitch, where the Scots would prevail for the second successive time in Edinburgh, but also from those occupying the seats around him.
He looked at the lone piper standing high on the roof of the stand, his kilt swirling in the wind as his pipes bellowed, he took in the smoke from the guns that had fired on the pitch seconds before kick off, and then he absorbed the rush of nationalism that stemmed seemingly from every soul who had come to see the auld enemy sent packing once again.
That was two years ago and, back then, Andy Robinson, the former England flanker, who went on to assist Clive Woodward as his country won the 2003 World Cup before taking over the top job himself until he was sacked in November, 2006, would never have dreamt that he would become Scotland’s head coach whose remit, amongst others, would be to inflict another sapping defeat on his beloved England.
But that is how events have unfolded and if anyone doubts whether an Englishman known for his fierce pride in wearing and then leading the red rose can seriously plot the downfall of not only his team and his country, but in Martin Johnson the man who captained England to World Cup glory, then listen to his plans, starting with the song that stirs the Scot.
“I’ll be expecting every member of the Scotland squad to sing “Flower of Scotland” when they line up to face England,” the Scotland coach explained, as he gazed across the frozen countryside close to his Bath family home and thought of the March 13th Six Nations encounter.
“I’m undecided whether I will or not. It won’t win us the game, but the players have got to show pride in wearing the jersey because I know it means everything not just to the Scottish rugby fans, but to the nation.
“It was at that 2008 Calcutta Cup match when I sat as a spectator that I really felt this. I was inspired by the frenzy whipped up by all the pre-start show of nationalism and history. I was inspired by those sitting all around me. Beating England, but also having the same degree of passion in general to fare much better in the Six Nations, will really put a spring into the step of this nation. It’s up to us to create this.”
It is not that Robinson has suddenly turned his back on all things English. “I’m a fan of England rugby and I always want them to do well,” he insisted. “But not in the Calcutta Cup.”
He appreciates how this may sound, considering his background. “Look, of course I’m English, but as someone whose life has been knee-deep in sport do you want to know what really gets me passionate? Winning, and the challenge that ultimate goal presents along the way.”
Robinson could be excused for being just a little bitter. After all, he was unceremoniously removed from his head coach post with England after the 2006 autumn internationals, with the jeers of the Twickenham crowd still ringing in his ears after they saw three home defeats out of four, which is precisely what Johnson has presided over for the past two years as England, save for their player-power-inspired surge to the 2007 World Cup final, have failed consistently to shine.
But he does not do bitter, and he has a compelling reason for this. “My late father, Ray, was a talented, all-round sportsman when he contracted multiple sclerosis at just 36 years of age,” the 45-year-old recalled. “I was 11 at the time. He ended up in a wheelchair, blind when the disease got into his brain and, towards the very end, needing the use of a capheter. He’d turn up at Bath games when I was coach there and, despite his blindness, tell me at half-time where we were going wrong having had the action described to him by a friend. He’d be invariably right, too.
“Until his death in 2001 when he was only 61 years old he totally inspired me over how to approach the highs and lows of life. Would he have felt sorry for me when I lost my job with England? Of course not! His view would have been deal with it, learn from it, and make tomorrow a better day than today. It’s the same with the guys losing limbs right now out in Afghanistan. It’s how you react to setbacks in life.”
So there is no yearning to still be England coach, although why should he considering the flak he received from the crowd, the media and especially the RFU?
“I’m not glad I lost my job, if that’s what you mean. This may sound strange to you but that last month in charge was one of my most enjoyable times in rugby. Everyone wanted me out, except for the players. I never lost the players. And I saw it as a massive challenge.”
It was a challenge he would ultimately fail in and the man who also coached Bath to Heineken Cup glory would disappear into a world of self-analysis before re-surfacing, strangely, as the new head coach at lowly Edinburgh.
“I had to visit a few dark places,” he admitted. “I needed to discover just who I was. I never lost my passion. And I never lost my self-belief. The margins in sport are so incredibly narrow between winning and losing. But I needed to not only understand my values, but learn to live by them in order to make me do better.”
He saw the light by mentoring the Gloucestershire cricketer, Chris Taylor, coaching mini rugby and taking a long, hard look at how he had gone about his business. “I realised that before I put everything on the players because I believed in them so much. Now I understand that I need to lead as well. I need to inspire people to be the best they can be.”
He also appreciates the need for a partnership between players and management. “That’s what we had with England between 2001 and 2003. After we won the World Cup, though, some of the players lost the understanding of how the partnership worked.”
Not Johnson, who had the sense to retire on the spot and now finds himself up against his old coach when England head north to Murrayfield. Does Robinson feel a little sympathy towards his former captain who requires a major improvement from his team in the Six Nations?
“No,” he replied immediately. “Head coaches should never look for sympathy. We’re all in a great position.
But his respect for the man remains high. “He wasn’t the best in the line-out, he wasn’t the best scrummager, but he was the best player in the world in 2003. He was an honest player, he understood the game, and he loved competition. The one natural talent he possessed was he had a good engine in him. It made him always deliver. Some of the players around that time – and I could name a few - used to sit back and wait for the big matches to perform, but Johnno never did. Competition turned him on, you see, and I’m sure it still does.”  
It takes one to know one, it seems. Robinson had already turned down a couple of Premiership clubs when Edinburgh came calling in 2007, one of two Scottish provinces with a poor record both in the Magners League and in Europe. It would mean him leaving his beloved Bath and, for much of the time, his wife and two children. He grabbed the opportunity, turned Edinburgh into Magners League runners up before coaching first Scotland A and then Scotland.
“It was the perfect fit. It would take me out of my comfort zone. Staying in England would have been much easier, especially from a family point of view. Being away from them as much as I am is hard, of course. But it is the sacrifice I’m prepared to make.”
It has gone well, too. In November Scotland beat Australia for the first time since 1982, as well as Fiji, before falling narrowly to Argentina. The win against the Wallabies underlines Robinson’s mantra.
“One of the calls we had was “82”” he explained. “That was to remind the players when it got tough of the last Scotland win over Australia. Some great players had worn that blue jersey and never beaten them, and now we had a chance to put that right. We must use that win as a springboard.
“The modern game is closer than ever now. Back in 2000 to 2003 England tended to pull away from opponents in the second half because they were fitter and the defence was better. Now everyone lasts the pace and everyone’s defences are water tight. So now you need something else, and in sport it is always the top few inches that matter.
“That’s why I want Murrayfield to become a horribly intimidating place for all teams, not just England, and for the fans to buy into it they need to see us win, just as we did against Australia.
“We haven’t won our first Six Nations game for four years now which is why losing is not an option when France come to Edinburgh on February 7th. We want everyone on the pitch and in the stands to want to beat France, Wales and every other team as much as they want to beat England. As for the Calcutta Cup, we’ll deal with when it comes around. There’s a lot of work to be done first.”
But still Robinson allows himself a passing thought. “There’s going to be a lot of talk before that England game largely because of who the Scotland coach is,” he accepted, with a wry smile and an exhalation of breath that sailed into the cold, west country air.
“It’s going to be a great week.”