Invited recently to review a book that has been published ahead of the forthcoming World Cup it has been hard when reading it to escape the view that it is the story of one that got away from Scottish rugby.

Background suggests otherwise, admittedly, since its subject was born and raised in Cumbria, learned his rugby trade in Yorkshire and has a family name which lends itself to the biography’s title while also fitting perfectly with the red rose that invariably now adorns his chest.

However “The House of Lancaster” is about a man whose first taste of international rugby was wearing a navy blue shirt with a thistle upon it and it is hard to imagine that the former Scotland under-19 and Scottish Students representative could not, early in his coaching career, have been persuaded to return. After all, when Stuart Lancaster was initially appointed to the England job four years ago a member of the selection panel, who has described himself in recent years as “a product of English rugby” was one Ian McGeechan.

Admittedly it is made clear that even when he felt “honoured to pull on the jersey” which he duly gave to his Scottish mother, Lancaster felt his true attachment lay elsewhere. Yet his route to leading England has been a highly unlikely one and in the world of modern coaching that has now seen Scotland’s fortunes guided by two Australians, an Englishman and a Kiwi, had those who got so excited about recruiting failed England coach Andy Robinson been properly on top of the job it is far from inconceivable that Lancaster might have fulfilled his personal ambitions by giving further service to the Scottish cause.

Why that would have been so valuable is clear throughout the narrative which describes a man whose virtues, emphasising honesty and integrity, seem to correspond with all that was good about Scottish rugby when I first covered Test rugby in the late eighties.

The timing of this book’s publication seems dangerous given that it’s basic premise is to claim that Lancaster has rebuilt English rugby from the foundations up since it was shamed at the last World Cup.

Any embarrassment English rugby felt must be placed in the context of my clear memory from that World Cup of passing Neil Squires, author of “The House of Lancaster” and two of his English colleagues as I headed for Auckland airport the day after England had secured their involvement in the knockout stages at Scotland’s expense.

Furthermore England may, like Scotland, have produced their worst ever World Cup performance last time around, but it is a brave man who would bank on them maintaining their record of always reaching the knockout stages given the pool they are in.

That said, for all the sneering I remember from among over-confident Scottish officials when Lancaster made his earnest first appearance at a Six Nations Championship launch in 2012, he has come across as a deeply impressive man who is not short of the courage required to live up to the expectations being heaped upon him.

And Another Thing...

Another product of English rugby quit the Scotland scene yesterday and the usual suspects lined up to praise Jim Hamilton’s contribution.

Results may not be everything, but for me a huge part of what has been wrong with Scottish rugby selection has been summed up by comparing the records of two direct contemporaries. Statistics may sometimes lie but not, I believe, in this case.

Al Kellock: Played 56 Won 24 Lost 31 Drawn 1 Success rate 43.75%

Jim Hamilton: Played 63 Won 18 Lost 44 Drawn 1 Success rate 29.36%

Among Scotland players capped since the first imported coach was appointed the record of Kellock, a natural leader, stands supreme, his successes including wins over Australia (twice), England and France. Among the 35 Scotland players to have won more than 50 caps Hamilton alone has a winning record below 30 per cent, never claiming a win against the big five.

Yet one admirer even described Hamilton yesterday as “the enforcer” and I had to wonder just exactly what he is thought to have enforced.

As noted in this space only last week, Kellock’s treatment at the last World Cup when, as captain, he was omitted from the team in favour of Hamilton, was the most telling example of how Scottish rugby has lost its way with homegrown players too often disregarded by imported coaches who, understandably, hold a low opinion of our domestic game.

In that same piece I made mention of the neglect of John Barclay and, when the World Cup squad was announced this week, I was once again reminded of the way that the late John Foster, Dollar Academy’s magnificent coach, described how his former captain’s presence had alone been enough to intimidate opponents.

Perhaps in Josh Strauss, John Hardie and Ryan Wilson, Scotland’s current coach has identified fellow imports with personal strengths that make them capable of enforcing the right attitudes into a squad that has too often looked confused as to what is expected of it in recent years, but experience suggests that getting over excited by a couple of wins against Italy might be premature.