Scotland determined to bounce back
Tuesday, 13 February 2001 17:52Scotland's openside flanker Budge Poutney has said the squad are determined to bounce back after their opening Six Nations defeat at the hands of France. Poutney insists that Scotland are unaffected by that 16-6 loss in Paris a fortnight ago. "There was great disappointment a couple of weeks ago after Paris," he admitted, "but we are fairly determined that if we need to, we will make a few changes and tidy things up. There is a quiet air of determination around the camp at the moment."
However, it won't be easy as their opponents Wales are equally determined to banish memories of their record 44-15 defeat at the hands of England at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. "The two teams will be under different kinds of pressure," admitted Poutney. "Wales will want to pull something out of the bag, while we are putting ourselves under a lot of pressure to do things a little better - to tidy up on a few things this week."
Poutney is hoping that home advantage will turn the game in Scotland's favour. "Murrayfield is a little more on top of you and the audience is more youthful and louder. It's very important at your home ground to have lots of noise, to put the opposition under a lot more pressure," he said. Scotland are expected to name their team for the weekend clash against Wales on Thursday morning.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
