I can’t wait to play at Pittodrie
Says Scots skip Jason White
Published:
SCOTLAND were poised to take on World Cup conquerors Argentina in the first of a Test double-header on Saturday.
The Pumas sent Scotland crashing out of the World Cup quarter finals last year.
Influential skipper Jason White will miss the trip to South Africa after knee surgery last month.
The Aberdeen-born forward insists Scotland are out to regain their pride against the world’s third best side in Rosario today and Buenos Aires next Saturday.
In an exclusive interview White, who will spend the summer recuperating, assesses Scotland’s hopes in South Africa and looks back on a frustrating Six Nations campaign.
Q How important is the tour of Argentina to Scotland’s development?
A These games are absolutely vital as they provide the opportunity to implement lessons learned from both the World Cup and Six Nations campaigns.
Scotland have a number of exciting young players breaking through to challenge the more established campaigners.
International rugby is a continual cycle where teams are always looking to develop, so this game is vital.
This tour will give the players and coaching team valuable experience together which can be used to build for the next Six Nations.
Q Will this be a chance for revenge after losing to the Pumas in the quarter-final of the World Cup?
A Not revenge, but a chance to show just how strong Scotland really are.
Argentina are ranked third in the world and it will be very tough to go to South America on their own patch.
It is a huge challenge but Scotland definitely have the players capable of getting positive results.
Scotland are determined to go to Argentina and give it their all.
Reaching the World Cup quarter-finals was a fantastic feeling and we came so close to defeating Argentina.
If Scotland can come back from South Africa with some positive displays or victories it will have a knock-on effect for the Six Nations.
Q Scotland made the World Cup quarter-finals, but a poor Six Nations was tempered by a Calcutta Cup win over England. Was 2008 a success or failure for Scotland?
A The Six Nations was very disappointing as we had so much hope and optimism going into the tournament.
Ultimately, we could not deliver on that.
Scotland must learn from those mistakes and take the positives and lessons learned into the next few matches with Argentina.
Despite some poor results there were good aspects of our game which can definitely be built upon.
From a personal point of view, it has been a very frustrating season both with Scotland and at club level with Sale Sharks.
Captaining my country in the World Cup was a tremendous honour, but the Six Nations campaign was a tough experience.
I began the Six Nations as captain only to suffer concussion which meant I had to start the next game on the bench.
As a rugby player you have to accept that there will be times when you are injured, but you have to bounce back by doing the best possible when fit.
Q You will miss the Argentina tour after undergoing knee surgery. Will you be fit for the new season?
A It is disappointing to miss out on Argentina as the opportunity to play for Scotland means everything to me.
But I had to have the operation which was just a clean-up job on a knee.
Over the summer I will have to work on rehabilitation but, hopefully, I can come back strong in time for the autumn internationals against New Zealand, South African and Canada.
Undergoing this surgery will ensure I can return to action to have a really strong season for Scotland.
Q Scotland play Canada at Pittodrie on November 22. How much will that mean to you?
A To run out at Pittodrie would be a dream come true as I grew up as an Aberdeen fan.
Unfortunately, injury deprived me of the chance to play at Pittodrie when Scotland beat the Barbarians in 2005.
The Canada game is a great boost for the city and I am sure North-east rugby fans will turn out in force.
Aberdeen has produced international players like Chris Cusiter, Moray Low and me so hopefully this game can inspire more youngsters to take up the game.
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