I think the kiwis, the Aussies and the Welsh demonstrate quite well that you don't need a huge population to have a great rugby team - but you do need a strong rugby culture. Unfortunately the grass roots of rugby in Scotland these days is pretty much dependent on the public schools, so they are fishing in a small pool. I personally felt that the jocks did a lot better in this year's tournament than the results would have you believe. They got properly battered by the Irish, but most of their other games were pretty close run things - England's victory was certainly not a comfortable one, they dominated the first half against the welsh & should have scored a try, but then lost the plot in the second half and they gave the french a run for their money for much of the game until the last 10 minutes. The team as ever is something of a curates egg, but some notable new talent appeared - in particular the young glasgow full back Hobbs. If I were a scot I would be disappointed by the results, but I wouldn't be too discouraged by the teams performance.
As for England, I salute Stuart Lancaster; I think he deserves a contract. He showed guts and originality in his selection - not always making the most comfortable choices - the fact that not one England player received one of the 12 nominations for player of the tournament but that he managed to produce increasingly spirited performances shows that he had them playing as a team. Discipline (on & off the field) and morale and motivation seem much improved.
Swing low sweet chariot.
