Rugby: England still team of the tournament - McGeechan
Monday, 3 April 2000 21:22Scottish coach Ian McGeechan, who knows all about making history in world rugby, rated his country's 19-13 upset of England on Sunday as one of the biggest achievements of his career. However he still said the English were the Six Nations team of the season despite their failure to secure the Grand Slam and Triple Crown at the last hurdle. McGeechan guided the British Lions to their historic series defeat of the Springboks in South Africa in 1997, the Northern Hemisphere's most prestigious moment of the last few decades.
However when asked how high he rated Sunday's surprise win for the Scots, who had lost all their previous four championship games, the coach said, "Very highly. Obviously after the season we have had. We have worked so hard and did not have the benefit from it. We knew our rugby had to be of the highest quality and it was, but the English have been the team of the Championship. You can't take that away from them."
The game marked Scotland's first victory over the English since their Calcutta Cup win to take the Grand Slam in 1990, also at Murrayfield. McGeechan was also in charge then but he has just returned to the job this season after coaching in English club rugby as well as for the Lions.
Out-Half Duncan Hodge was superb in yesterday's victory, scoring a try and kicking the rest of Scotland's points. Playing in a downpour England never adapted to the conditions despite a Lawrence Dallaglio try, and the result will again raise questions over the future of coach Clive Woodward.
In related news, the brief tenure of John Leslie as Scotland skipper could be brought to an end later this month. In the wake of yesterday's heroic 19-13 humiliation of England at Murrayfield, coach Ian McGeechan admitted he has been handed a major problem for the summer tour to New Zealand by the ease with which Andy Nicol led the side yesterday. The former Bath captain took command when Leslie withdrew from the squad for the Calcutta Cup clash - after suffering a recurrence of his long-standing ankle injury.
