SCOTLAND coach Bryan Easson insisted last night that his team are continuing to make progress after the 57-0 defeat by New Zealand ended their hopes of qualifying for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
Easson’s team have now lost their last nine games in a run that stretches back to the opening round of the Six Nations, but, with full-time professional contracts set to be issued by Scottish Rugby, he believes they can keep improving and soon start to win again.
“I think five of the last seven games we have been within a losing bonus point, and that’s how close we are with the top-10 teams in the world,” he said. “We’re getting closer and closer. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves. What we need to get better at in the close games is just finishing things off, being more clinical.
“We haven’t played at a World Cup for 12 years, apart from Fiji everyone else has been here before, and when you play at this level it’s a long way up from the Six Nations and we are competing. What we need to do now is kick on from here and show what we have learned from this experience.”
While a heavy defeat by the Black Ferns was to be expected, the main concern for Easson’s bosses has to be the number of narrow losses the team have suffered. There is clearly a problem with turning pressure into points in some games, as captain Rachel Malcolm accepted.
“I think our defence has been outstanding throughout the tournament,” she said. “The bit that has really passed us by is just that finishing of chances. We had huge spells of pressure in both the Wales and Australia games, and it’s about converting that pressure into points.
“No team has the pressure for 80 minutes, as you saw with New Zealand today, but when they did have it, they made the most of it and got the scoreboard ticking over.”
Malcolm added that Easson, whose position will inevitably come under some scrutiny now, continued to have her full support.
“Bryan has always been an incredible coach for me to work with as a captain. He’s a brilliant communicator and constantly tries to drive us to be better. Throughout this tournament he’s pushed us to believe in ourselves and express ourselves as players, so I think he’s been great this tournament.”
Asked if she wanted him to carry on, she added: “Yes.”
