Scotland on the right track

So here we are mid-Six Nations, two games down, three to go. Rugby pretty much dominates normal life most of the time, but at this time of year it takes particular importance.

From the build up, to the game at the weekend to the thud of normality when its time to return to work on Monday morning.

Each week is a constant countdown of days until the next game. Whether it be a win, a loss, a good performance or a bad one, I find myself in a constant state of anticipation. Little else gets much brain space.

Since my last blog, we have had the benefit of a busy couple of months, with new coaches at the helm who have brought a lot of drive and belief to the team.

We were very pleased to get a win on the board in our first game, especially against France, as we havent beaten them since 2003 (a very distant memory, in fact my first cap!). No doubt many people saw this as a shock result, but it is certainly one which the team and the management, who have been working very hard over the past three months, feel was earned and deserved.

The fact that France are in our pool for the World Cup this autumn certainly enhances the impact of the result. Primarily though, to get a win from the first game is a massive boost for any team.

Having said that, the French game was a great occasion, Celia Hawthorn won her first cap at full-back, and Veronica Fitzpatrick reached her 50th.

What better way to spend Valentines day than running around on a dry sunny day on a fine pitch with all of you nearest and dearest friends? The conditions were perfect for running rugby, which always excites me.

Disappointingly, from a personal and team perspective, we made too many errors, more than we had done in our first game against France. Wales capitalised well on these, created for themselves and executed very effectively when it mattered.

Although the score was disappointing, we got two tries on the board, which is important, as in order to build on our performances we need positives which we can take going forward.

We now have two weeks to nurse the bumps and bruises and analyse the good and bad from the last two games before we travel to Italy. Not that that means a relaxing weekend; we will train together as a squad on Sunday, by which time we will be solely focused on the Italian job.

Click here to view video highlighs of Scotland's win over France