There are on-going discussions but it was not a factor in changing the second row.

The reason Ben moved was to get the week-in, week-out rugby he could not be guaranteed in Edinburgh, and the wisdom of his move has been demonstrated throughout the season and underlined today.

I will be speaking to my fellow coaches when we gather for the first time on Sunday night. We have a number of candidates and we will be assessing leadership qualities and their aptitude for...

It was a missed opportunity because we didn’t play well enough in the first half,

The simple fact is that we will need our most experienced guys for what will be a massively difficult game.

We targeted the Llanelli line-out and it was especially pleasing to see Scott and Ally Kellock come up trumps.

Mike deserves his chance to start but, putting my hand on my heart, I could say that Chris will play a very important part in our Six Nations campaign. We are fortunate to have such...

As far as captaincy is concerned I will be speaking to my fellow coaches when we gather for the first time on Sunday night,

I’m confident where we are. We have laid some very important foundation stones. We were never going to make dramatic progress in one season. I never thought we would win the championship this year, but...

Ben’s got a lot of qualities, but this is a very big match and we’ve got a lot of confidence that he’s a big-time player. He’s got a lot of experience from back home. The...

There was a tremendously committed and determined effort from our boys,

He will have to detach himself to some extent while still being one of the lads.

I didn’t think we’d continue to play so poorly, that sooner or later we’d start to execute better. We know that if we are going to crack the nut of an away win in the...

That situation has to be managed for Nathan and for Scotland.

I said during the build up to the match that we would play well. We didn’t play brilliantly but the guts and the commitment the guys displayed were outstanding. The important thing was that we...

We have a number of candidates for captain and we will be assessing leadership qualities and their aptitude for the job during the squad sessions over the next few weeks.

A cracking game full of excitement until the last and plenty of enthusiasm

We want to try and pinch some of their ball. Nathan has a long term commitment to playing for Scotland.

Jason is going to be extremely important to our fortunes in the short, medium and hopefully long-term,

Phil could yet feature in the Six Nations.

With my World Cup hat on, we have to get the most of all our players. This is an opportunity. It’s not a reflection on the other guys. We’ve still got to make our mark...

Those who know Scott Murray know he is not a dirty player. He was extremely disappointed. There was a late tackle from Ian Gough well after the ball had gone. Scott was trying to get...

This is a tremendous spring board for us in the Six Nations campaign. As to our chances – well we’re still unbeaten.

There is no reason why we can’t go to Ulster with confidence,

I’ve long held the view that we have to best harness what we have by attacking in different ways. In the past, Scotland have had a restricted attacking strategy. They have not used all the...

The players know best what’s needed. You can’t flog them. There was a culture of defeat. The system didn’t work for anyone. It had to change. Shaping the working week is one of the key...

Given where we are at in this season’s championship, I feel it appropriate to look at the squad and both Chris and Gordon deserve the opportunity to start. Both need to be seen, particularly when...

As I have said before Nathan remains very much in my thoughts. He has not retired from international rugby.

I started thinking about South Africa two days after the Italy game in mid-March, that’s just the nature of the beast. We’ve played a lot of physical teams in the last 12 months but this...

Colin Noon is someone who interests me greatly. I tried to sign him for Edinburgh a couple of times and although I would have to speak to other selectors before making a decision.

Those who have been mud-slinging at Dan need to have a look at themselves now.

We are where we are at the moment on the international rankings – ninth,

Italy have made so much progress this year and, to be honest, I think they have played better than us in this championship.

I was very impressed with MacLeod’s play against Wales when he came off the bench.

The first international squad session is due to take place on October 3 and it would be expected that the new coach determines who takes part. That means giving players notice and from that point...

Between them they’ve won 88 caps but it is the knowledge from coaching our professionals on a daily basis that will prove such an asset,

It is our last home game and they have got to come in after the match and face up to the supporters. They will need to give their all for 80 minutes before they do...

They are very different types of player and it’s a new toy for us to play with having real competition for places, … It won’t be until the Heineken Cup that you will get a...

What I said at half-time was that there were going to be a lot more points in the game and sitting on a lead wasn’t an option. We had to be brave in going out...

Ben has made great strides since he joined Edinburgh last season. Rob has earned his call-up with the consistency of his performances.

Everyone connected with Scottish rugby should be celebrating Simon’s comeback. He is such an important player – both for Edinburgh and the national squad.

Scottish style, eh? No, just pragmatic.

Mike performed exceptionally well when he came on as a replacement against New Zealand.

He has had a tremendous impact on the squad. The fact his own performance was so exceptional during the November Tests means he is coping well with the extra responsibility.

Steve and I have discussed a formula so that the ‘A’ team will adapt the same shape of game as the Scotland side so, if someone is required to fly from Canada to South Africa,...

We would have liked to give the crowd more to cheer at the other end of the field but it wasn’t to be. England actually played extremely well in the first half-hour, which made it...

I’ve said all along that we have three top quality performers in that position. Now is the opportunity for the other two to show what they can do.

Rob does need a lot more time but you can never rule anybody out who is playing for one of the three Scottish pro-teams because it is not as if we have massive resources in...

I’m so proud. It was a sensational defensive effort. Make no mistake, England played pretty well today, but our defense was magnificent.

It is fantastic to be in a situation where you’ll have to think twice about Simon Taylor.