Frank Hadden Quotations

There is no point in engaging in speculation if Tom may be able to return to rugby in the future, because such speculation just increases the frustration for Tom,

We believe we have a very good chance of winning this weekend. What's important to me is that the many thousands of Scots' fans traveling to Dublin do so not just in hope but with a genuine expectation of us doing something special again.

Unfortunately Marcus has not made the progress that we had hoped but as one door closes, another opens for Ben MacDougall who wins his first cap this weekend.

With my World Cup hat on, we have to get the most of all our players. This is an opportunity. It's not a reflection on the other guys. We've still got to make our mark with an attacking game. Our attack has been under wraps because we haven't had ball.

We want to try and pinch some of their ball. Nathan has a long term commitment to playing for Scotland.

The reason Ben moved was to get the week-in, week-out rugby he could not be guaranteed in Edinburgh, and the wisdom of his move has been demonstrated throughout the season and underlined today.

Let there be no confusion, the way forward for Scottish Rugby is for the three professional teams to be the vehicle for driving professional rugby in this country,

Scott has timed his return from injury very well. He's fresh and enthusiastic and will be an invaluable member of our World Cup squad. These days it's sometimes not a bad thing for players to have a break from the game.

Scotland's history has been one or two occasions of tremendous over-achievement, and I am hoping this is the start of one for us.

Mike performed exceptionally well when he came on as a replacement against New Zealand.

One of the things that has given me confidence in the progress that Scotland have made in the professional era is that there was a time when a kicker lined up a kick and no-one knew what was going to happen.

Phil could yet feature in the Six Nations.

Given where we are at in this season's championship, I feel it appropriate to look at the squad and both Chris and Gordon deserve the opportunity to start. Both need to be seen, particularly when you look ahead to next year and the Rugby World Cup.

He will have to detach himself to some extent while still being one of the lads.

He has had a tremendous impact on the squad. The fact his own performance was so exceptional during the November Tests means he is coping well with the extra responsibility.

He is now one of the senior pros in the side and his physical approach makes him ideal to lead by example.

What I said at half-time was that there were going to be a lot more points in the game and sitting on a lead wasn't an option. We had to be brave in going out to play again which is why the score after half-time was so important.

There are on-going discussions but it was not a factor in changing the second row.

It came down to experience, these two are the most experienced guys we could lay hands on. What we now have in Scotland is genuine competition for places.

Italy have made so much progress this year and, to be honest, I think they have played better than us in this championship.

It has been disappointing and is something I've spoken to him personally about. We need to address it because we can't afford to have Simon off the pitch for 10 minutes on a regular basis.

I will be speaking to my fellow coaches when we gather for the first time on Sunday night. We have a number of candidates and we will be assessing leadership qualities and their aptitude for the job over the next few weeks.

Jason is going to be extremely important to our fortunes in the short, medium and hopefully long-term,

I said during the build up to the match that we would play well. We didn't play brilliantly but the guts and the commitment the guys displayed were outstanding. The important thing was that we knew we had a chance.

Rob does need a lot more time but you can never rule anybody out who is playing for one of the three Scottish pro-teams because it is not as if we have massive resources in Scotland.

Steve and I have discussed a formula so that the 'A' team will adapt the same shape of game as the Scotland side so, if someone is required to fly from Canada to South Africa, then they will be up to speed with what's going on.

Like the top-quality guy he is, Dan has a very sound temperament. Thick-skinned would be a harsh description, but he seems to be able to cope with that stuff pretty well. That's what you're looking for in a guy in that position.

I was very impressed with MacLeod's play against Wales when he came off the bench.

I think Chris started twice in the November matches and Mike came on after 20 minutes in the New Zealand game and performed exceptionally well - he deserves the opportunity to start this time. At stand-off, the most pertinent factor is that Gordon has only trained twice with Scotland this season while Dan has been consistent throughout.

It is fantastic to be in a situation where you'll have to think twice about Simon Taylor.

Mike deserves his chance to start but, putting my hand on my heart, I could say that Chris will play a very important part in our Six Nations campaign. We are fortunate to have such talent and this is a case of horses for courses.

We are where we are at the moment on the international rankings - ninth,

We have a number of candidates for captain and we will be assessing leadership qualities and their aptitude for the job during the squad sessions over the next few weeks.

Those who have been mud-slinging at Dan need to have a look at themselves now.

We had an outstanding pre-season and we are raring to go,

When you are away from home there is absolutely no substitute for experience. We are playing against a team that we have not beaten at Lansdowne Road for eight years.

We will go out and play rugby against France and we believe that we're capable of doing something very special.

We would have liked to give the crowd more to cheer at the other end of the field but it wasn't to be. England actually played extremely well in the first half-hour, which made it all the more rewarding.

There has been a tremendous amount of sympathy towards Scott and I haven't come across anybody who thought it was anything other than an accident. The referee's view was that he had no choice because boot made contact with head.

There is no reason why we can't go to Ulster with confidence,

The players know best what's needed. You can't flog them. There was a culture of defeat. The system didn't work for anyone. It had to change. Shaping the working week is one of the key parts of the job, often ignored or undervalued. A coach, you know, doesn't often bring about a massive improvement in things. But he can very easily make things a hell of a lot worse.

We will be monitoring him closely this week and obviously we will be considering other options. Ben MacDougall and Graeme Morrison will both be with us in training.

We targeted the Llanelli line-out and it was especially pleasing to see Scott and Ally Kellock come up trumps.

We don't want to take the competitive edge off him because that's crucial to him, but we're expecting him to get streetwise and smarter.

Those who know Scott Murray know he is not a dirty player. He was extremely disappointed. There was a late tackle from Ian Gough well after the ball had gone. Scott was trying to get out of the tackle situation as quickly as he could and flicked out his foot. He wasn't looking in Ian Gough's direction at the time. Scott was extremely remorseful.

Those who know Scott Murray know he is not a dirty player.

Ben's got a lot of qualities, but this is a very big match and we've got a lot of confidence that he's a big-time player. He's got a lot of experience from back home. The progress he has made since coming here last season has been pretty impressive, and he is probably the best defensive midfielder in the country, which will be really important this weekend.

Ben has made great strides since he joined Edinburgh last season. Rob has earned his call-up with the consistency of his performances.

Between them they've won 88 caps but it is the knowledge from coaching our professionals on a daily basis that will prove such an asset,

As I have said before Nathan remains very much in my thoughts. He has not retired from international rugby.

Edinburgh play Glasgow this weekend and then Edinburgh play the Borders the week after and there's no doubt I will be viewing these are trial opportunities, particularly for hooker,

Edinburgh have never won against Llanelli at Stradey Park but our intention this weekend is to turn that around.

Duncan needs games after being out injured for the best part of 18 months and it was great to see him distributing so well from stand off, ... There is no reason at all why Duncan cannot complete the rare feat of playing at all levels from club through pro-team to country in the space of this season.

Duncan needs an opportunity to show what he can do.

I started thinking about South Africa two days after the Italy game in mid-March, that's just the nature of the beast. We've played a lot of physical teams in the last 12 months but this is the ultimate challenge for us physically and we're playing them in their own backyard, so it will be really tough.

I've said all along that we have three top quality performers in that position. Now is the opportunity for the other two to show what they can do.

The simple fact is that we will need our most experienced guys for what will be a massively difficult game.

I've long held the view that we have to best harness what we have by attacking in different ways. In the past, Scotland have had a restricted attacking strategy. They have not used all the possible areas of attack open to them. Wide, close, through the middle, through the boot - there are many options. You have to unsettle the opposition.

A cracking game full of excitement until the last and plenty of enthusiasm

Colin Noon is someone who interests me greatly. I tried to sign him for Edinburgh a couple of times and although I would have to speak to other selectors before making a decision.

As far as captaincy is concerned I will be speaking to my fellow coaches when we gather for the first time on Sunday night,

As a proud and passionate Scot this is the ultimate honour and one that I am determined to enjoy,

That situation has to be managed for Nathan and for Scotland.

This is a tremendous spring board for us in the Six Nations campaign. As to our chances - well we're still unbeaten.

The Welsh were hugely inspirational to us last season. We are obviously very familiar with them and what they did was fantastic.

The Welsh were hugely inspirational to us last season.

They had a good autumn series and they have been involved in one or two grand slam showdowns so beating them would be special.

They are the first two people I want to speak to, ... I've arranged to meet Hugh on Monday and I want to see Steve as soon as possible. It's likely that the support team will come from among the professional coaches we've got in Scotland already.

There was a tremendously committed and determined effort from our boys,

It is our last home game and they have got to come in after the match and face up to the supporters. They will need to give their all for 80 minutes before they do that.

It really was an absolutely unbelievable defensive effort and it's a reminder that there's more than one way to win a rugby match.

Conditions just got too difficult for the players and they couldn't cope with it.

Everyone connected with Scottish rugby should be celebrating Simon's comeback. He is such an important player - both for Edinburgh and the national squad.

It's an advantage we haven't had in the past and one which we've envied in other teams. I honestly believe that all the replacements are capable of making an impact when they come on and I intend to use them if possible.

It was a missed opportunity because we didn't play well enough in the first half,

They are very different types of player and it's a new toy for us to play with having real competition for places, ... It won't be until the Heineken Cup that you will get a real indication of what we think our best side is.

I'm so proud. It was a sensational defensive effort. Make no mistake, England played pretty well today, but our defense was magnificent.

I never really saw us winning the championship, but I think we've done enough this year to convince people that we are a good side and there will be a lot of teams that won't relish the prospect of playing us in future.

I'm confident where we are. We have laid some very important foundation stones. We were never going to make dramatic progress in one season. I never thought we would win the championship this year, but we have done enough to make people believe we are a good side.

In Scotland, we can't afford to get too far ahead of ourselves and our entire focus will be on the first game. If we are as successful as we'd like to be in the first game, that can generate tremendous momentum.

I didn't think we'd continue to play so poorly, that sooner or later we'd start to execute better. We know that if we are going to crack the nut of an away win in the Six Nations we are going to have to execute with more accuracy next week in Rome.

Thankfully, I'm not superstitious.

The reality is you don't get stand offs who are expert kickers as well as top drawer runners. The trick is to find a balance but Phil is putting a lot of guys into gaps.

You only had to hear the players talking about Andy Murray's victory in the tennis earlier in the week to appreciate how much they believe that Scotland can compete on a world stage. All these things add up. We are where we are in the rankings because of the limited nature of our resources. But what's important is to believe that when we go out against the big guns of world rugby, such as England, that we have a genuine chance of winning. And we do.

The French have generated a level of consistency over the last half a dozen games that has perhaps been missing from them in the past. We're aware that they've got a formidable array of talent available to them, but we think we've got a pretty good side as well and we'll be going into the game with some expectations and a high level of confidence.

The first international squad session is due to take place on October 3 and it would be expected that the new coach determines who takes part. That means giving players notice and from that point of view it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect an announcement next week.