Brian O'Driscoll leads the way at the Six Nations launch in London
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David Hands comments on the various states of boredom and indifference induced by the Six Nations launch in The Times.
"These are the occasions the captains and coaches abhor - the endless round of media outlets, TV, radio, written, photographic - the same unanswerable or self-evident questions, the sanitised replies. Ten days away from the start of the 2010 RBS Six Nations Championship, there are far more important elements of preparation demanding their time but their presence at the Hurlingham Club in London is mandatory.
"Poor Marc Lievremont did not even have the support of his players. France's coach came without his captain, Thierry Dusautoir, because the leading French clubs have a round of the Top 14 to play tonight and his replacement, Dimitri Szarzewski, the Stade Francais hooker, found his flight delayed. Not that this stopped Lievremont expressing the hope that this could be France's year, given that they have four representatives in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
"On the other hand, this was a first for Andy Robinson. The former England coach has done this before, of course, but not as coach to Scotland and he was on his best behaviour. What would it be like, Andy, when your team lines up to play England for the Calcutta Cup match? Robinson tells his interlocuter that he has always found the atmosphere at Murrayfield inspiring, that the hairs on the back of his neck still lift when the anthems are sung and is congratulated for the expert evasion of the question."
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