'Mrs Thatcher won Grand Slam for Scotland'

David Sole leads the Scotland team off the pitch at Murrayfield after their 13-7 Calcutta Cup win over England in the Five Nations rugby tournament, March 1990.

Long regarded as a hate figure among Scottish rugby supporters, Moore has voiced his inflammatory views his new autobiography Beware the Dog.

The former England and British Lions hooker believes the Scottish victory in the Five Nations decider was fuelled not by superior skills and tactics, but by hatred over the imposition of the poll tax by Margaret Thatcher's government, as well as anti-English fervour.

Moore, 48, said the nationalistic fervour got to his fellow players and contributed to the Scots winning 13-7. He wrote: "Scotland's tactics were simple. They would use their home crowd to pressure us throughout the game.

"Allied to these tactics, the easily generated anti-English fervour was reinforced by genuine political antipathy felt by the country towards the Thatcher government, particularly as it had been trialling its new system of local rates, known as the poll tax, north of the border."

Moore told of his torment at having to mix with gloating Scotland fans at a rugby function in Edinburgh the week after the game. "For every second of the experience, and I exaggerate not, at the back of my mind was repeated the phrase, 'I would rather die than allow the Scottish to do this to me again'," he said.

He takes several other swipes at Scotland in the book, saying he has just two Scottish friends, and claiming the Scots were obsessed with labelling the English arrogant. He also expresses dislike for the English anthem Swing Low Sweet Chariot, but still prefers it to Flower of Scotland. Roy Comfort, chairman of the Forum of Scottish Rugby Supporters, said: "It is just Brian being a bit of a sore loser. England came with one of their best teams for years, expecting victory."

Jim Telfer, forwards coach, rejected the Thatcher theory, saying: "There was enough edge without any politics. They were going for a Grand Slam and we were going for a Grand Slam. They must have known that with people like Finlay Calder and David Sole that we were not going to just lie down."

He added: "I think Brian likes reaction. He likes to give this view as a pitbull terrier. He speaks his mind but he is quite arrogant."

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Wales rugby coach tells England to give Johnson time

Wales coach Warren Gatland has said England must learn from their experience with World Cup winning supremo Clive Woodward and give Martin Johnson time to develop as their manager.

England has lost eight of their 14 Tests since Johnson was appointed to the post of team manager without any previous coaching experience in 2008.

Wales will look to add to those tally of defeats next month when they begin their Six Nations campaign at Twickenham in search of a third straight win over England - something they last achieved more than 20 years ago.

"I hope England give him some time," Gatland said of Johnson after announcing Wales's squad for the Six Nations on Monday.

"It has been tough for Martin. Everyone knows what a great player he has been.

Gatland sees similarities between England and Wales's situations in that both countries are struggling to get club teams into the last eight of this season's European Cup.

"There are two countries going into the Six Nations at the moment a little bit concerned about where their teams are," the New Zealander said.

"That is not just a concern for England, it has to be a concern for Wales as well," former Ireland coach Gatland added.

Wales will head into the Six Nations without their two senior scrum-halves as the British and Irish Lions duo of Dwayne Peel (groin) and Mike Phillips (ankle) are both injured.

Peel sustained his injury playing for English club Sale during their European Cup pool defeat by Cardiff Blues last weekend and now it seems the Scarlets' 23-year-old Martin Roberts will be lining up in the key scrum-half position for his first Six Nations start at Twickenham on February 6, 2010.

"We are not 100 percent sure how long Dwayne is going to be out for," said Gatland. "We are just going to assess him over the next few weeks and, when he is back fully fit, we will make a decision on him."

Wales and England suffered disappointing November international home series with both nations well beaten by New Zealand and Australia.

Looking ahead to their Six Nations opener, Gatland said: "This is a huge game for both sides. A victory for either team will give a huge amount of confidence and give you a chance to win the Six Nations Championship."

Gatland urged Wales to follow the example of Ireland, who won a Six Nations grand slam last year and ended an unbeaten 2009 with a win over world champions South Africa.

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Welsh rugby fans ready to snap up Six Nations Hospitality

MORE than 27,000 Welsh rugby fans who have pre-registered for the Six Nations matches at the Millennium Stadium will get the opportunity to snap up tickets at noon today.

Fans have registered their support for the national squad since Wales captain Ryan Jones launched the pre-registration process via the Welsh Rugby Union website during last year’s autumn series.

Fans were able to join a priority waiting list for access to any tickets unclaimed by WRU member clubs and debenture holders.

Sell-out crowds are expected for the games against Scotland (February 13), France (February 26) and Italy (March 20).

“The fans are an important part of the team and we will be looking forward to three home games with the Millennium Stadium full to its rafters,” said Wales coach Warren Gatland.

“There is nothing like looking up from the pitch to a sea of red to inspire a player.

“We have three tough matches in Cardiff this year and the crowd will have a vital part to play.”

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Will Greenwood’s big warning for Wales

WORLD CUP-WINNER Will Greenwood has delivered a double whammy to Wales’ top stars, declaring they are facing Twickenham defeat and potential Heineken Cup wipe-out.

Greenwood, scourge of Wales’s teams as a player at the start of this millennium, reckons Martin Johnson’s new-look England will prove too strong for Warren Gatland’s men at Twickenham.

And he also predicted the Ospreys stars who make up the bulk of Gatland’s team have to take something from their Euro showdown in Clermont tomorrow.

Failure to do that, he warns, could lead to Clermont and Leicester grabbing the top-two spots in Pool Three and the Ospreys joining the Blues, Scarlets and Dragons on the Euro sidelines.

Greenwood’s warning of a double dose of trouble for Welsh rugby will fire up the likes of Ryan Jones, Shane Williams, Lee Byrne, Adam Jones, James Hook and Alun Wyn Jones ahead of a pivotal moment of their season.

But Greenwood is adamant that misery could be facing Welsh rugby, saying: “England have made themselves difficult to beat against Six Nations opponents. It’s England versus Wales at Twickenham on February 6, one of the days in the rugby calendar.

“I’m one of the biggest fans of Welsh rugby, but, as a proud Englishman, I think home advantage will prove decisive with England coming out on top.

“Wales’ second game of the Six Nations is against Scotland in Cardiff and it’s that encounter when Wales will look to get on a winning roll.”

England boss Johnson has strengthened his squad significantly after it was ravaged by injury for the autumn campaign, bringing in a number of younger players he hopes will pep up his team.

But Greenwood says that for Gatland’s Ospreys-based stars to go to Twickenham on a Euro high, they need to go for the jugular in France tomorrow to guarantee Welsh representation in the Heineken quarter-finals.

Scott Johnson’s side currently top Pool Three with 16 points, four ahead of Leicester and Clermont. But their rivals each have the comfort of a probable bonus-point victory to come over Italian minnows Viadana.

With French Championship leaders Clermont hosting the Ospreys at Stade Marcel Michelin, Greenwood insists Aurelien Rougerie and his team are in pole position to win the group.

“James is just so calm and assured. When it’s on to go from his 22, he is away. It’s an Australian sense of belief and purpose.

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David Young hoping Edinburgh can find right formula to extend stay in Europe

Win and European rugby should beckon. Lose, and it’s another season of concentrating on the Magners League, and another season where Scottish rugby has drawn a blank in the Heineken Cup. The equation is that simple and stark for Edinburgh when they play Ulster tonight.

What complicates things for the Scottish club is that the arithmetic is identical for their opponents, who go into the game level on points in the pool but with the advantage of having picked up a bonus point in losing the reverse fixture, where the teams drew the try count at one each.

Which means that the biggest game of the season so far sees David Young, the prop, retain his place after being drafted into the side last week to give Geoff Cross a rest. “It is a big vote of confidence,” Young said yesterday before the team flew to Belfast, the city where, coincidentally, he was born while his father was on an Army tour of duty to the city.

“I have had snippets of opportunities in the past. To be given a start in the must-win game against Cardiff last weekend was a great boost. You have got to earn your stripes, and though that may have taken a few months longer than I expected, the key thing is that I have been given this opportunity and have to continue the momentum,” he added.

The back row sees Alan MacDonald, capped by Scotland in November but who missed last week’s game with flu, come in as a straight like-for-like replacement for Rennie. It is a rare outing for him in his specialist role as openside flanker, but he says he is just delighted to be back in the side.

“Seven is probably my preferred position but I am not picky, it is more about how I can contribute to the team,” MacDonald said. “It is very exciting; I think everybody will relish the experience. I have won games there in the past, and lost games there too. It is always a difficult place to go.”

Moffat knows that it would be a huge boost to his side’s chances if they were not only to win, but also pick up a try bonus point, but yesterday he refused to heap pressure on the team by suggesting that they would go out with those four tries as a goal. “I was disappointed last week because at 18-6 up we should have kicked on and got that fourth try,” he said. “I would expect that if we found ourselves in the same position this week, we would keep going, but you can’t predict that. The important thing is to win.”

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Scottish rugby legend knighted

Scotland rugby legend Ian McGeechan has been knighted in the 2010 New Year honours list for his services to rugby union.

McGeechan, 63, coached Scotland to a Grand Slam in 1990 and featured in seven British and Irish Lions tours: five as a coach and two as a player.

His knighthood follows a distinguished playing and coaching career which began internationally with a Scotland debut in 1972.

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ngland prop Phil Vickery sacrifices Six Nations Championship for long-term gain

Vickery will miss the RBS Six Nations Championship after his return from a neck injury was delayed

Phil Vickery’s hopes of returning from his latest neck injury in time for the RBS Six Nations Championship have gone after London Wasps revealed that he will not be fit to start training for at least a further eight weeks.

The England prop and former captain was hurt playing against Racing Métro in an Amlin Challenge Cup tie in October. After surgery, Vickery had hoped to resume playing this month.

Tony Hanks, the Wasps director of rugby, said that Vickery had not suffered a setback from his operation and that initial estimates of the recovery time were always likely to be fluid. “He had pretty major and invasive surgery,” Hanks said. “His rehab is going well. If it takes an extra two or three weeks to make him right long term, we will do that. We don’t want him to finish this season; we want him to have next year as well and the World Cup would be a great way to go out.”

The 33-year-old has repeatedly come back from serious back surgery, not least in 2003 on his way to a World Cup winner’s medal. Hanks’s comments suggest that the next World Cup in 2011 in New Zealand remains in his sights.

The club’s match away to Leicester today is the only fixture to survive the bad weather. Worcester Warriors’ game against London Irish fell victim to the snow and ice yesterday afternoon. Despite the pitch at Sixways having been covered since Christmas, Chris White, the referee, inspected the surface yesterday and ruled it unfit because wind had got under the covers and had frozen the dead-ball areas.

“Player welfare has to be our prime concern and with no improvement in the forecast and therefore the conditions, we had no option but to postpone the match,” Phil Winstanley, the rugby director at Premier Rugby, said.

The 24,000 sell-out match at Welford Road will give Danny Cipriani a stage to make a late impression on Martin Johnson, the England team manager, before he names his squad next week for the Six Nations. The 22-year-old starts at fly half after featuring at full back in the home defeat by Newcastle Falcons last weekend.

“He is hungry,” Hanks said. “It will be like a Test match and Test-match decision-making will be required, which Danny can provide.”

Mark van Gisbergen slots in at full back and Paul Sackey and Ben Jacobs are recalled at wing and centre respectively. Ben Broster comes in at prop. For Leicester, Anthony Allen is ruled out by an ankle injury, so Jeremy Staunton starts, as do Marcos Ayerza, Mefin Davies, Lewis Moody and Craig Newby in the pack. Tom Croft returns from injury on the bench.

• The future of Coventry has been secured after they were sold out of administration. A new company, Coventry Rugby Ltd — chaired by Peter Rossborough, the former England full back — has bought the Championship club for an undisclosed sum.

Dan Cole aiming to follow in the footsteps of Leicester Tigers hero

Props are not traditionally renowned for what they offer to the world's more intellectual discussions.

But Leicester Tigers' 22-year-old tight-head, Dan Cole, is one smart cookie.

"Who were your childhood heroes when you watched the club as a youngster?" he was asked at the weekend.

"Richard Cockerill. Obviously," came the reply.

"I was born across the road at the Leicester Royal Infirmary. A friend used to have season tickets and took me along to watch the greats. My heroes were the ABC Club, with the likes of Cockers, Darren Garforth and Graham Rowntree."

Andy Robinson hints at bright future after Frank Hadden era peters out

SCOTTISH rugby is moving into 2010 with renewed heart … but wait, we said that of 2009.

Scottish rugby was in a positive frame of mind a year ago after scrummaging New Zealand off the park and running South Africa close, so developing a pack confident it could stand tall with the best in the world. They did not win those Test matches ultimately, and that kept one foot on the ground at least, but with England and France struggling, Wales not the Grand Slammists they were and Ireland looking aged, surely it was time for Scotland to banish the blues?

The short answer was 'no, think again, Scotland'. Just as a rugby team evolves around more than merely the stand-off, but the controller wearing the No10 jersey invariably attracts most scrutiny, so the head coach is far from alone in determining how his side performs yet is the man to take the greatest flak when it all goes pear-shaped.

It comes with the position and so the sight of Frank Hadden shuffling more uncomfortably than ever with the attention and criticism began to reveal in the former Edinburgh and Scotland age-grade coach a naivety in international rugby that was to haunt him in his final months as he ran out of avenues to turn and agreed to step down in May.

In terms of results, Hadden finished with 16 wins from 41 Test matches, a success ratio of 39 percent, and with Scotland one place further down the rankings from when he took over. It was not a whole lot worse than some might have predicted of a Scotland side, but he joined Ian McGeechan and Matt Williams nonetheless in completing the worst decade of achievement by a Scotland team since international rugby began.

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RBS 6 Nations Championship 2010 February - March

Six Nations rugby tours are wonderful occasions. Not just for the unique spectacle of being at a live rugby international, but for the culture and social aspects that each away city offers: the iconic sights of Rome, Dublin, Paris and Edinburgh, the variety of great restaurants and lively bars and a choice of well-situated hotels, inspected by Gullivers.

Gullivers has been organising tours to the 5 and 6 Nations since 1976 and continues to offer the best organised and best value rugby weekends for rugby supporters, with guaranteed match tickets.

We have tours to book online for both English and Welsh rugby fans at next year's RBS 6 Nations Championship - so choose your tour below and support your country from the stands!