Parcours Joueur (3e ligne):
Castelnau-Madiran (1998-1999)
FC Lourdes (1997-1998)
AS Saint-Junien (1996-1997)
FC Lourdes (1992-1996)
FCS Rumilly (1990-1992)
Manukau RU (1980-1990)
Parcours Entraîneur :
Montpellier HR (depuis 2017)
Ecosse (2014-2017)
ASM Clermont (2006-2014)
Crusaders (2004-2006)
Bay of Plenty (2000-2004)
Palmarès :
Challenge Européen (2007)
Champion de France Top14 (2010)
Champion de France Groupe B (1995)
Super 12 (2005)
Super 14 (2006)
Ranfurly Shield (2004)
Distinction:
Meilleur staff d’entraîneur du Top14 (2010)
Oscar du Midi Olympique (2010)
Meilleur entraîneur du national Provincial Championship (2004)
Ranfurly Shield (2004)
Coach fréquenté : Michel Hauser, Patrick Fernandez, Henri Niéto, Nano Capdouze (Lourdes), Joseph Poitelin (Rumilly)
So, Vern and the boys managed to keep the aforementioned ‘Scottish hype train’ on track until week 4, ultimately running out of steam in tragic style at Twickenham, before finally picking themselves up, dusting of the hurt and exiting stage left post-Italy. I don’t think it’s worth me going in to great detail or depth over the England game, most fans will agree that it was a good England side on a good day… and, well, a good Scotland side on a s***e day, and we were deservedly hammered.
The boys will - and should - keep that one in the memory bank, it wasn’t one of those games that you come off the pitch and instantly want another shot at them, It was one of those that make you re-assess how much work is still to be done, one that left them dazed and probably a little sick in the stomach. So, here are my ‘brief’ thoughts before moving onto our Vernon…
Yes, we went without Dickinson, Nel, Strauss, Laidlaw, Maitland and then lost Hogg early, but I’m not interested in those excuses, neither is Vern and neither are the 23 who took the field. What interested me was that mentally we were vacant, and this comes down to preparation and experience of these big occasions.
We don’t have much of the latter, you could tell mid-week that Hogg was a little too keen; he mentioned that he was physically shaking in anticipation, in a positive way of course. This is often a sign of over-hyping the game in your head, a lack of focus, a lack of calm, and waste of energy. You may think that’s exactly what you want before a game, and you would be right, but not on the Wednesday of match week. Hogg is a senior team member; players will look at him for help, calm and reassurance in big moments. It was clear from Brown’s first tackle and Dunbar’s lack thereof, that this had filtered throughout the team.
Now, I’m certainly not blaming Stuart Hogg for the loss (he wasn’t on the pitch for the most part), and I could be jumping to conclusions, but from where I was sitting it certainly looked like Scotland’s mental preparation wasn’t quite where it needed to be. That’s ok though, for now, Scotland are very much in a growth phase, learning every test series and (most of the time) not making the same mistake twice. That might be the biggest lesson learned so far for this young group; only time will tell if we have taken it on board.
Anyway, enough of that – Anthony Vernon Cotter ladies and gentlemen…. *pause for affect… What that man has done for Scottish Rugby is very difficult to put into words, but here is my best shot.
Vern doesn’t strike me as the type to say things for the sake of it, he’s not a cliché man and doesn’t mince the few words he does have. He’s a straight talker with a mild sense of humour that gradually endears you to him, and in hindsight, he fitted Scotland and its people so perfectly. He loved Scotland, he honestly cared and wanted us to succeed – he said it himself that he always supported Scotland whilst in France and disliked the ‘wee man’ tag that we carried, and that certainly showed during his final interview post Italy.
Les yeux de glace finally began to crack, he could only answer one question before moving on and wiping a tear away, he knew that would be the case but he had so much respect for the nation that he felt they deserved a few words at least. Vern meant it when he said he was a Scotland fan, and he meant it when he said it wasn’t about him.
I guess this is part in parcel of why he was successful; the players bought into him and in time, so did the fans. For quite some time (as a fan) it felt like the blue jersey didn’t really have the same meaning or carry the same pride as maybe it once did. I’m sure plenty ex-players will disagree, and of course, I am in no position to comment on what the jersey meant to Lamont, Paterson, Blair, Cusiter et al, but I can comment from an external point of view as a lifelong fan. Cotter has managed to re-ignite a rugby nation through his own passion – Joe Schmidt recently said that he used to learn from Vern almost by osmosis:
Osmosis - noun
1.
A process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one.
2.
The process of gradual or unconscious assimilation of ideas, knowledge, etc.
It certainly seems like some of that passion Vern possesses has filtered through those semi-permeable Scottish walls. Just look at the reception the public have given him, not just getting off the bus on Saturday, or the ovation at the final whistle, look at the last 4 Murrayfield attendances versus Italy:
Some will argue that the SRU have gotten their act together, some will argue that Hogg is more exciting than Paterson, and Russell easier on the eye than Jackson/Weir, but for me it comes down to Vern’s influence. We are talking foundations, culture, public interest and most of all, passion and belief that we deserve to be at the top table.
Am I gutted Vern is leaving? Yes, of course I am. In an ideal world he should have stayed for another year before Townsend took the reigns, but this isn’t an ideal world, and I praise the SRU for being decisive and recognising Townsend’s potential – it clearly wasn’t an easy choice to make.
Perhaps he could have stayed in Scotland in another capacity, maybe in Scott Johnson’s seat, maybe higher up? Vern was always aware that the suits wanted a Scottish coach in charge long-term, and although he came as close as possible to convincing us he was actually Scottish in a former life, he too would appreciate these plans. Am I excited about the future? Yes. Am I disappointed Gregor Townsend will be Scotland Head Coach next term? Absolutely not.
So, on behalf of the Scotland fans and the Top Two Inches, Vern, haste ye back.
Fraser Hutt, TT2I
For more from The Top Two Inches, find us on Twitter here
http://fifa15.with.webatu.com/ Six Nations 2016: Foreign legion exposes the failings in the English coaching system: Sir Ian McGeechan: Northern hemisphere nations lack confidence and cohesion to produce coaches
Four-try Ireland edge Scotland 28-22 in World Cup warm-up
Ireland continued their try-laden World Cup build-up by running four tries past Scotland in a 28-22 win at Lansdowne Road on Saturday. Chris Henry and Blair Cowan scored for either side in a first half lacking excitement or pattern. Zebo limped off before the final whistle, while Ireland coach Joe Schmidt will be concerned over the three tries conceded. http://dlvr.it/BsBc4b
London (AFP) - Sale scrum-half Chris Cusiter was among five players called up to the Scotland squad by coach Vern Cotter on Monday for this weekend's Six Nations match against Italy. http://dlvr.it/8ht9L1
