Now it's Robinson who sees clear skies

RUGBY:ANDY ROBINSON had just finished his media conference this week when he asked whether anyone had heard the weather forecast for Edinburgh this afternoon. Without waiting for an answer, he informed the gathering, sporting a wide smile, a dry, sunny day was predicted. "A blue sky will suit us," the Scotland coach said.

A year ago, the Wales coach, Warren Gatland, was scornful of Robinson’s refusal to agree to the roof at the Millennium Stadium being closed. Sanity was needed, he said, concluding with disdain that Scotland would be pinging kicks in the rain.

Never mind the forecast sun, the outlook for Gatland now is stormy. Wales have not won an international for more than 10 months and a fixture in which they have prevailed for six of the past seven years looms ominously.

Wales have eight Lions in their starting line-up compared to Scotland’s three, seven Lions Test starters to none, and the core of the side were part of the 2008 Grand Slam success, but a characteristic of their defeat in the opening round against England in Cardiff was a lack of leadership.

Jamie Roberts and Mike Phillips, two major players for the Lions in South Africa in 2009, made a minimal impact. Roberts only touched the ball five times while Phillips’s passing was laboured and he made no impact on the visiting backrow. Lee Byrne has been restored to fullback this afternoon, but his influence has faded in the last two seasons.

It was emerging players who made the biggest impact against England, Jonathan Davies, Bradley Davies, Dan Lydiate and Sam Warburton. There was a lack of communication and Wales were indecisive when they won turnover, too often taking the wrong option.

A big difference between the sides was speed of thought. England were able to seize the moment while Wales fiddled.

Gatland has constantly marvelled at the natural ability of Welsh players, but what the New Zealander cannot influence is their rugby brain, the ability to appreciate in an instant what is on, which is not a quality lacking in his native country.

While Wales have in many ways profited from Gatland’s methods, more physical at forward and more durable, their endemic weakness was shown in England’s first try last week when the number eight Andy Powell positioned himself as the guard at a breakdown, leaving his two props standing out and providing an invitation to run that Toby Flood was quick to exploit.

Gatland had spent the week warning his forwards about the danger posed by Flood’s right step. He was wasting his time and, while his belated decision to moved James Hook to outhalf may be perceived as an act of desperation, he is putting his most instinctive player in a crucial position.

“We have to be clinical against Scotland and take the emotion out of the occasion,” said Ryan Jones, the number eight who was stripped of the Wales captaincy in November.

“There is a role for me to help the younger players and if the experienced guys walk around with our heads down it will have an effect on the others.”

Robinson, like Gatland, has a contract through to the 2015 World Cup. He has gradually transformed Scotland from a side that was as limited in approach as it was in resources to one that is no longer constrained by perceived weaknesses.

Robinson welcomed today’s forecast because he wants Scotland, whose three tries in Paris were as many as they had fashioned in their previous seven Tests, to take the game to Gatland’s men. In past years, it would have been tantamount to a lower-table football team going gung-ho against Barcelona, but Wales have become numbed by failure and desperately need some blue-sky thinking on a day when the losers will find themselves in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon.