ALASDAIR Strokosch can have a menacing air about him, but it was turning blue on Saturday night when he let rip at his Scotland team-mates after their first Test defeat to Argentina.
He was altogether more calm and relaxed yesterday, as he chatted with the media, but the flanker, who won only his fifth cap at the weekend, admitted he still felt Scotland needed to become more angry if they were to achieve that historic first Test
victory in Argentina on Saturday in Buenos Aires.
He was, understandably, keen to keep to himself exactly what he said to the players in the heated Rosario dressing-room exchange at the weekend, but he admitted: "I was angry – the feeling of disappointment when we came off changed to anger I think.
"I'm quite an angry guy a lot of the time. I've not got many caps, but I felt it after we played Italy and it's happened here again. I get sick of losing against teams I know we're better than.
"I don't usually say all that much to be honest, but I felt I had to get it off my chest. What I said was just for the players."
The Paisley-born Strokosch always had a hard edge, from his days as a young Scottish karate internationalist to his development at East Kilbride then Boroughmuir and Edinburgh. Channelling it into the finer points of forward play has consumed many of his coaches, but in quitting the Scottish capital and frustrated attempts at regular game-time, and gone against the advice of the national coach, his innate, headstrong desire was clear as he broke the mould and created a new reputation for himself at Gloucester.
Exciting a taskmaster such as Dean Ryan, the head coach at Kingsholm and former England No8/blindside, is not a straightforward affair, but Strokosch did so in the months when Scotland were competing in the Rugby World Cup and he was just finding his feet in England. He went on to win wider respect in being voted player of the month in the Guinness Premiership at the turn of the year and duly was handed a new two-year contract by Ryan.
His route to the Scotland No6 jersey appeared blocked by Jason White, not only Hadden's first-choice as blindside flanker, but also his preferred captain. He had a brief run off the bench against Australia in 2006, but opportunity beckoned in February when White encountered complications in his recovery from a serious knee injury and Strokosch grasped it with a fine first starting appearance against Ireland.
Bigger, stronger and more confident, he agrees that Gloucester has been good for him, but he also feels that it has helped his perspective on the Scotland team and the levels it should be aspiring towards.
"Possibly moving away and being in a different environment means that when I see the Scotland squad from the outside I see the potential that is there and how good they could be. I think that's what got to me more than anything (in England].
"We are underperforming; we're not fulfilling our potential. If we did that I think we could be a top-four or five nation in world rugby. Are we going to move from being a team that wins a couple of games a year to one that is consistently good? We've got to make that choice now."
The 25-year-old flanker is no fresh-faced, naive kid. And he feels similarly to Mike Blair, the skipper, who told The Scotsman recently that individuals had to step forward and contribute more if Scotland were to pull themselves out of the current slump. He agreed that the Scottish pack did not match the aggression of the Pumas on Saturday, and feels awareness of that is filtering through a disappointed squad.
He clearly believes that they have it within their grasp to turn around the first Test display, match the Pumas and strike that first Test win on this soil.
He said: "Collectively, we all wait for (Allister] Hogg or 'Blade' (Mike Blair] to create something sometimes, or for Mossy (Chris Paterson] to kick a goal, but everyone should be trying to break the game. The guy who lifts in the lineout or clears the ruck is just as important as the guy who scores the try, but when it comes to doing your little element you have to do that perfectly, which we're not doing.
"In the set-piece we were good on Saturday, but in the contact area, the rucks and mauls, I don't think we were. We need to find an aggression as well. You've got to want to hurt someone when you tackle them or when you clear a ruck – you've got to want to be dominant.
"It's not the same for everyone. I use anger, but it might be a different emotion that triggers it for others. It takes a while to find what it is that is going to switch it on – desire, anger, anything."
Underlining his belief that this week's result, and Scotland's bid to move up the IRB rankings, now has little to do with the coaches, he added: "It comes down to us.
The coaches can only guide you so far. We've got to take responsibility for what happens and we've got to fix it – whatever it takes to get you going."
YESTERDAY'S RESULTSIRB Junior World Championship: Argentina L, Tonga L; New Zealand L, Ireland L; Samoa 20, USA 6; South Africa L, Scotland L; England 60, Canada 18; Australia L, Fiji L; France 32, Italy 14; Wales L, Japan L.
TONIGHT'S FIXTUREChurchill Cup: Argentina v Scotland A (Kingston, Ontario; 9.30pmBST).
The full article contains 960 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
