Honours Six Nations : Five Nations Grand Slam (1925, 1984 & 1990), Five Nations winners (Five outright, six shared), Four Nations winners (nine outright, two shared)
Last year Six Nations 2010 : After three Six Nations losses in 2010, Scotland revived their tournament by drawing with England at Murrayfield before defeating Ireland in Dublin. An opening 18-9 loss to France at Murrayfield was followed by a demoralising 31-24 defeat to Wales in Cardiff, where wing Shane Williams broke Scottish hearts with a last-gasp try to deny the visitors at the death. The game though was overshadowed by Scotland wing Thom Evans suffering a career-ending neck injury, while his team-mate Chris Paterson was also detained in hospital. It only got worse for Scotland after losing to Italy 16-12 in Rome after substitute Pablo Canavosio scored the only try of a poor game. The Scots avoided a fourth successive loss by drawing with England 15-15, and then ended the tournament on high as Dan Parks kicked Scotland to a stunning 23-20 Croke Park triumph that meant his team avoided the Wooden Spoon.
This year Six Nations 2011 : Recent results, the mauling by the All Blacks aside, have been encouraging. Scotland will travel to Paris for their Six Nations opener following wins in five of their last six games, a run which includes back-to-back victories over the Pumas in Argentina. Scotland's record in opening matches of the Six Nations is less impressive however, with defeats in 10 of 11 games since the championship was expanded to include Italy. After Paris, Scotland have back-to-back home matches against Wales and Ireland before travelling to Twickenham to face England in March followed by a Murrayfield finale against Italy. Scotland's hopes will hinge on whether they are able to reproduce the sort of form that saw them upset South Africa 21-17 at Murrayfield last year.
Coach Six Nations 2011 : Andy Robinson, a former England coach and assistant coach when they won the 2003 World Cup, took over as Scotland boss in 2009 from the axed Frank Hadden. In 13 matches as Scotland head coach since his appointment, Robinson - who is under contract until after the 2012 Six Nations - has overseen seven wins, one draw and five defeats. However, the last six matches have yielded five wins, the one 'blip' coming against New Zealand in the opening international last November, a thumping 49-3 loss which serves as a constant reminder for Robinson. Wins over Australia, Ireland, Argentina (twice), South Africa and Samoa during Robinson's reign, though, have led many to believe Scotland could challenge for the Six Nations title this year. The 2011 Six Nations Championship will be Robinson's second as Scotland head coach and it includes a trip to the Rugby Football Union's headquarters, a venue where he won many honours while playing for Bath, for a match against the team he represented as both player and coach.
Captain Six Nations 2011 : Glasgow lock Alastair Kellock is the man chosen to lead the side in 2011, having led the side admirably in last year's historic 2-0 Test series win over the Pumas in Argentina. The 29-year-old second-rower succeeds Rory Lawson as skipper, with the Gloucester number nine's fellow scrum-halves Mike Blair and Chris Cusiter having also taken the armband in the last 12 months.
Players to watch Six Nations 2011 : In the forwards, Glasgow flanker John Barclay is having an outstanding season and will no doubt be the player opposition target this year. His ferocious appetite for work was clear for all to see in his Herculean display against South Africa. A real poacher at the breakdown area. In the backs, Ruaridh Jackson - Barclay's team-mate at the Warriors - will keep first-choice pivot Dan Parks on his toes. There are many who are placing more faith in the 22-year-old Jackson and that he is the playmaking fly-half Scotland have been lacking for many years. The England-born Glasgow star showed he is made of stern stuff when he landed a last-minute kick to defeat Samoa last November. He is a more creative player than Parks and under the coaching of Andy Robinson has the potential to be brought along nicely and even go into the World Cup as their number one.
Fixtures Six Nations 2011 :
Saturday 5 Feb: vs France -- Stade de France
Saturday 12 Feb: vs Wales -- Murrayfield
Sunday 27 Feb: vs Ireland -- Murrayfield
Sunday 13 Mar: vs England -- Twickenham
Saturday 19 Mar: vs Italy -- Murrayfield
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