Six Nations 2012: Scotland coach Andy Robinson could be a dead man walking after the match against Wales

Around the autumn of 2006, a phrase began to attach itself to the then England head coach Andy Robinson. Bad start: Andy Robinson watches Scotland's defeat against England  Photo: Getty Images By Paul Ackford

11:00PM GMT 11 Feb 2012

It was rarely heard in public, but among the Premiership directors of rugby, whenever Robinson's name was mentioned, it was accompanied by the qualification "dead man walking".

After a spell of eight reversals in nine matches, starting with a defeat by Scotland in the Six Nations in February and culminating in a loss to South Africa in November, a run which included seven consecutive games without a victory, Robinson was sacked by the Rugby Football Union. He had become too toxic to employ.

As Scotland travel to Cardiff to face Wales, the whispers are building again. Aspects of Robinson's record with Scotland are grim. The first man to fail to ease Scotland through to the World Cup quarter-finals, three defeats on the bounce against Argentina and England (twice) in his most recent encounters, and a try-scoring tally of just 20 in his 25 games in charge. That's a list of failings which is difficult to spin.

Yet Robinson, an intensely competitive, proud individual, has a win ratio of 50 per cent, which stacks up well against his predecessors.

Frank Hadden managed 39 per cent in 41 contests, Matt Williams a derisory 18 per cent from 17 games. Even the two great seers of Scottish rugby, Sir Ian McGeechan and Jim Telfer, rubbed along at around 41 per cent when they were in command. By that token, Robinson's contract, which has been extended to the 2015 World Cup, was a shrewd bit of business by the Scottish Rugby Union.

Robinson's supporters say that the fault lies with the players not the coach, that the lamentable finishing against England a week ago, the failure to execute simple two-on-ones, cannot be laid at his door.

They point to Robinson's time with England under Sir Clive Woodward and with the 2001 Lions under Graham Henry as evidence that, given better players to work with, he can coax performances and results of high quality. They admire his passion and work ethic, arguing that Robinson's teams rarely lack motivation and camaraderie.

But there is another body of opinion, increasingly vocal, which believes that Robinson is a poor selector, that Scotland under his leadership lack a clear identity, and that his famed intensity is simply an exaggerated manifestation of moodiness.

The last point is an allegation hanging over from his days coaching Bath where some players found it difficult to approach Robinson.

The defeat by England has raised the stakes considerably, opening up the old questions for further debate. Robinson, himself, deliberately upped the pressure before that match, saying it was a game that Scotland had to win to demonstrate progress had been made on his watch. It was a typically honest approach from a man who never ducks a challenge.

A week on and England's victory smells even more rank to Scottish noses. Doubts are mounting that Robinson can grasp the big picture, a concern, articulated by some of his former colleagues, based on the notion that he is best suited to the role of a No 2, an assistant coach accomplished at providing the detail to substantiate a head coach's strategic vision.

Those who hold that opinion remember Woodward deliberately watching training in the stands away from the hurly burly of the action in order to get a comprehensive overview while Robinson had the worm's eye view.

Certainly, Robinson's remarks before the England game, where he expressed a desire for chaos, was not an approach one might expect from the more experienced coach of the more experienced team, starting a Championship at home. Stopping the opposition playing is a legitimate ambition, but it cannot be the limit of that ambition.

And then there's Robinson the selector. In his last three games, two in the World Cup against Argentina and England, one in the Six Nations against England, all of them effectively sudden-death fixtures, Robinson has chosen three different captains (Rory Lawson, Alastair Kellock and Ross Ford), three different No 8s (Kelly Brown, Richie Vernon and David Denton) and three different scrum-halves (Lawson, Mike Blair and Chris Cusiter).

This week, Dan Parks made the extraordinary decision to step down from Test rugby with immediate effect, with Robinson indicating that he would have dropped him following his poor effort against England, instigating another change in a pivotal position.

The tag of being an indifferent selector has haunted Robinson since his England days. It was hoped that Scotland, with a much smaller pool of players, would provide him with less choice and, therefore, less room for doubt and indecision.

Wales will provide a pivotal test for Robinson. Scotland traditionally have trouble against the Welsh, losing on seven out of eight occasions since 2003. In six visits to Cardiff since the Five Nations became Six in 2000, Scotland have won only once, in 2002. And Wales are on a roll.

The return of Gethin Jenkins and Dan Lydiate will only strengthen a campaign which was boosted by last Sunday's two-point victory against Ireland in Dublin. Wales did against Ireland what Scotland couldn't against England: they turned half-chances into points.

Robinson has responded by sticking largely with the side he trusted against England. In a starting line-up of 417 caps at an average age approaching 28, Geoff Cross replaces Euan Murray, who continues to steer clear of rugby on a Sunday, at tighthead prop, and Greig Laidlaw is in for Parks at outside-half, changes which should offer Scotland greater fluidity.

But the discussion has moved beyond whether Scotland can score tries. Robinson's self-respect and reputation are on the line.

Less successful than Tonga and Samoa, according to the International Rugby Board's world rankings system, Scotland languish outside the top 10 in 11th spot, in a calendar year where success in the rankings determines seedings for the next World Cup.

It is a perilous position for an international coach to find himself in, even one as experienced and committed as Robinson. Dead man walking for the second time in his career? We'll know more after Cardiff. Six Nations

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