RESULTS AREN’T coming for Scotland but head coach Vern Cotter has
got my backing. Even after four successive Six Nations defeats, I can see that things are moving forward.

The New Zealander has brought a lot to the party. He plays his cards close to his chest but the players have massive respect for him, similar to the respect we had for Jim Telfer in my day. Scott Johnson (his predecessor) was more flamboyant and it was hard forplayers to read him.

We could have beaten France, and should have beaten Wales and Italy. Expectations have been high and, until Italy, performances much improved.

We lack real leadership in the team, and I’d give the captaincy to a younger player. Greig Laidlaw, the current captain, isn’t the best player in his position. He knows the game well and kicks his goals, but he slows the ball down a lot. Speeding the game up with the ‘tap and go’, like Gary Armstrong used to do, doesn’t come naturally to him.

To find out who Chalmers thinks should captain Scotland for the Rugby World Cup, you can read the rest of his exclusive column in the April edition of Rugby World magazine, which is on sale now. To subscribe to the print or digital edition, click here