Chris Paterson can look back on 10 years of Six Nations rugby, which is some achievement for a player who had to ride his luck to the limit to get through his first 10 minutes in the tournament. Alasdair Reid writes in the Daily Telegraph.
"Paterson was just 21 when he made his championship debut against France in 2000. It was no secret that he was one of the brightest prospects in the game at the time – he had won his first Scotland cap against Spain in the World Cup a few months earlier – but the French were always going to test the rookie full-back's abilities with a spot of aerial bombardment.
"And so the first kick came his way, high and horrible, in the opening moments of the match. Paterson was under no particular pressure from the French runners as he tracked back to make the catch, but as he focused on the ball he failed to notice that he was heading straight for his own posts.
"Everyone in the crowd had seen the danger, though, sensing that something rather painful was about to happen to the young player."
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