The Friday night phonecall between Adam Hastings and exiled star Finn Russell
Scotland’s Adam Hastings hopes his Dublin display has earned him the trust to take on England.
The Glasgow playmaker was handed the Dark Blues reins in the absence of disciplined talisman Finn Russell.
The Racing 92 maverick left big boots to be filled after he was dropped for his side’s Guinness Six Nations opener amid allegations he had breached team rules with a late-night drinking session.
But Hastings can be satisfied with his display on his first start in the championships.
He came close a couple of times to unpicking the hosts’ stern defence at the Aviva Stadium only to see his team-mates’ mistakes let Ireland off the hook.
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WATCH: Head Coach Gregor Townsend and Captain Stuart Hogg hold a press conference at Aviva Stadium in Dublin following a loss against Ireland in the Six Nations Championship.
But he did kick all his side’s points in a narrow 19-12 defeat that will be best remembered for skipper Stuart Hogg’s horror fumble on the tryline.
The opening could have swung the balance back in the favour of Gregor Townsend’s team but for now Hastings is just praying he has done enough to convince his head coach he can be relied upon as Scotland look to retain the Calcutta Cup when the Auld Enemy arrive in Edinburgh next Saturday.
“I just wanted to go out there and put in a half-decent performance and gain a bit of trust,” said Hastings.
“People have questioned my ability and performances in the past so it was nice to put in a steady performance yesterday.
“There was a bit of nerves there first of all. My consistency has been questioned at times but I just went out and played my usual game and didn’t think too much about it all.
“Everyone who plays wants to start and I would love the opportunity (to take on England). We’ll see what happens. Finn is a quality player so it’s hard to leave him out of the squad.
A game Scotland could have and maybe should have won. Ball security will be high on the do list this week.
Here's how we rated the Scottish players #IREvSCO #SixNations ???????https://t.co/kRfi4QxeSw
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 1, 2020
“England present a huge challenge. They got to a World Cup final not so long ago. They are a team in form. Would I love the opportunity to run out against them next week? Yeah of course.
“Facing Ireland has been huge for me. I went to the World Cup and only played one game against Russia. I thought I played well but at the end of the day it’s not a Tier One nation. So it was nice last night and it has definitely given me a bit of confidence.”
The Russell controversy overshadowed Scotland’s build-up but Hastings insists the fallout will not stop the 26-year-old being welcomed back into the camp.
Not an easy start #SixNations #IRLvsSCO #sixnations2020 pic.twitter.com/OyT49yqaMs
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 1, 2020
And he even thanked his former Glasgow team-mate for the warm wishes he sent on the eve of the Dublin Test.
He said: “I spoke to Finn on Friday night. He gave me a FaceTime and wished me all the best and he also sent me a text just before the game. So yeah, we’re fine.
“It was massive that he could take the time to show his support. At the end of the day we’re still mates and we look out for each other. For someone in his position to do that meant the world. It was really nice.
“We felt it was blown out of all proportion by the media. Us guys are all mates. We’re not p****d off at him. It was just a case is saying, ‘Right this has happened. Let’s move on now’.
“That was that but it was dragged out a bit, as it does, on Twitter. We weren’t to bothered by it though.”
Saturday’s defeat was another painful blow for Townsend’s men, especially given the number of clear-cut openings they failed to capitalise on.
However, they can sooth those wounds by ensuring the Calcutta Cup stays north of the border for the third year running next weekend.
“I think the last two years we’ve played really well against England so I think we can feed off that,” said Hastings. “I think that will bode well for us next week.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
first no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to comments