Why Scotland can still dream despite a disappointing Six Nations - Allan Massie

Nobody would pretend it wasn’t a disappointing Six Nations. We had hoped for three victories, even, if the Gods were with us, four. We got two. In truth we are in the same boat as England, Wales and Italy.

Any unbiased observer must surely conclude that there were two very good teams – France and Ireland – and four rather ordinary ones. The really disappointing match was in Cardiff. We should have beaten Wales that day but played in a way that allowed them to win. There was disappointment against France and Ireland too, because in both games we carelessly let an excellent try-scoring opportunity slip just when five (or better, seven) points would have put us back in the game.

Some respected critics have said Gregor Townsend’s team has gone back rather than moving forward. I’m not so sure, though one might have felt a good deal more optimistic if the French and Irish matches had been closer. That said, one should remark that in recent years Scotland have rarely shone except when Finn Russell was in full flower, and this year, for whatever reason, he was a bit off his game. It will therefore be interesting to see how he performs for his club Racing 22 in the later stages of the Heineken Champions Cup. We should remember that even the brightest stars have spells when clouds obscure their light.

Though we are told, and like to believe, that we have more strength in depth than has usually been the case, we still need our best players on the field, and in form, if we are to win the really hard matches. We were without Jamie Ritchie for all but the first fifty minutes of the tournament, and certainly missed his skill and judgement at the breakdown – indeed, his rugby intelligence too. Scott Cummings, a star performer last