Scotland Set For Cracking Match

Scotland have completed their final training session ahead of tomorrow’s ground-breaking clash with England at Eden Park, Auckland. Inevitably it was a glorious spring day in New Zealand’s biggest city today but the forecast for tomorrow is of a front moving in with rain a strong possibility and even thunder and lightning mentioned in some quarters.    Head coach Andy Robinson was joined at Scotland’s final Pool B media conference pre-match by full-back Chris Paterson and stand-off Ruaridh Jackson. The trio were confident and relaxed as they fielded questions, many of which concerned how Jonny Wilkinson, England’s stand-off, would cope with the absence of his kicking coach, Dave Alred, from Eden Park tomorrow. Robinson has been asked many times this week about the passion of this particular fixture and it’s recalled by many New Zealanders that he coached England to their Rugby World Cup victory in 2003. “Historians like looking back.  I like looking forward to the next challenge,” he said.  Robinson is someone who loves international rugby and in spite of the circumstances surrounding the loss to Argentina in Wellington last week, he still saw the match as another compelling advert for the game. “I hope it’s another cracking Test match (tomorrow) with two teams going head to head,” he added.