ARE SCOTLAND FAVOURITES

The Welsh coach Waren Gatland sees Scotland as favourite against Six Nation title holders, England. The two teams clash on February 4, 2012 at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, for their first match of the 2012 Six Nations tournament.

Scotland will next play away against Gatland’s team during the 2nd Week of encounters, scheduled for February 12. Wales vs Scotland will be played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Wether Gatland backs Scotland against England out of pure interest or her really believes that the Scotts are favourites against the Six Nations defending Champions is hard to tell.

However, Waren motivates that England will line-up a few youngsters and the pressure exerted by the crowd at Murrayfield will cost them the win. He does believe that England will get better and better as the tournament goes on.

Scotland is backed as favourite although Dan Park is not in the best shape of his life. Gatland believes though that Andy Robinson will be able to find the prefect line-up for Saturday’s encounter.

The New Zealender seems to love the Scots especially, with him insisting that this weekend he is about tennis and supporting Andy Murray for winning the 2012 Australian Open title.

ROBINSON EXCITED AT SCOTTISH FUTURE

Andy Robinson of the Scotland rugby team is quite jovial and happy about the New Year and feels that there is quite a prospect of growth and success for Scotland.

In his New Year message addressed to all the Scotland supporters, he says that this New Year is all about making sure that the club engages in all the age old rivalries formed on the rugby field.

The first match of this New Year with England is definitely filled with a lot of excitement as the fans have not lost their interest in buying the tickets for the match.

Andy definitely promises that the Scotland Rugby team is going to put up a tough competition with the nearest neighbors in what seems to be a grappling encounter.

With this promise, he hopes that the fans grow in the urge and hope and believe in the Scotland team as without their support, the team players do not have the confidence to go and put on a strong and competitive game filled with loads of excitement.

The next game that the Scotland rugby team will be encountering this year is against the last year’s world cup finalists, France and he is sure that with the practice and skills, Scotland will definitely give a tough competition to the champion’s.

However, he hopes that the supporters sport up some form of blue jersey or even a hat pr anything which represents Scotland in some way or the other. Having a full house audience to support them is also on the cards to make sure that they have a full crowd of audience supporting them on every move.

Andy wants the world to know that their supporters believe in the team and are ready to be by their side wherever they go.

PATERSON ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Chris Paterson announced an end to his international career in December and he represented Scotland for the last time in their World Cup defeat at the hands of England at the World Cup.

He was awarded an MBE by the Queen in the New Year’s honours list. It is a fitting tribute to Scotland’s record cap holder and highest points scorer.

Scotland fans will have the chance to pay their own tribute to their legendary hero in their opening match of the Betfair Six Nations 2012, also to be played against England, this time at Murrayfield.

Paterson will be present at the game to present the match ball to the referee prior to kick off. He has said of the opportunity “I’ve always treasured the support I’ve had throughout my career” he also talks of “getting goose-bumps with some of the cheers I’ve had at Murrayfield.”

As well as a being a chance for the Scotland fans to bid a fond farewell to one of their all time greatest players Paterson is relishing the chance to not only return the farewell, but to give a massive thank you to the supporters who were with him throughout his career. He has maintained that his main reason for being at the match though, is not a sentimental one. He says he will be there “firstly as a supporter, and secondly to say thanks.”

The Scotland crowd and players are no doubt likely to be eager to cause an upset against England and gain some sort of revenge for their World Cup exit. In the last two encounters at Murrayfield, the supposedly dominant England have failed to defeat the Scots. The Rugby Union Betting markets suggest England have the upper hand in this battle though.

The presence of Paterson will no doubt make the atmosphere that extra bit special and they will no doubt do all they can to triumph over the Auld enemy and reclaim the Calcutta Cup.