DESPITE their nine-match Six Nations losing streak, there is no extra pressure on Scotland as they head to Rome this weekend looking to break their duck, claims Nathan Hines.
The former national stalwart, now a coach for the side, insists instead the pressure to win the next game is always intense and cannot be affected by the past.
As the preparations for the trip to the Stadio Olimpico get under way in earnest, Vern Cotter, the head coach, has tinkered with the squad that lost by six points to England and four points to Wales – partly to take account of injuries, partly to involve players who were not available for the first two games.
The significant changes see Tim Visser recover from his hamstring strain just as Sean Maitland drops out with a similar injury, while Peter Horne has also got over his foot problem and is available for selection when the team is named on Thursday.
The other changes are more likely to affect the bench and travelling reserves for the game with Grayson Hart, Rob Harley, and Ryan Wilson being drafted in from Glasgow alongside George Turner and Hamish Watson from Edinburgh. Turner, uncapped, would be a spectacular gamble, since he is no better than fourth choice at Edinburgh but with a string of injuries among the Scots qualified hookers at both clubs, Cotter does not have much choice.
"It's good to have options, people playing and putting pressure on others. It's good for them to be playing and good for the others," said Hines.
However, asked about the pressure on the team to end their RBS Six Nations Championship losing streak, Hines was adamant that nothing has changed: "The only pressure we've got is from ourselves, I don't think we carry any more pressure just because we've lost two games," he said.
"We've seen improvement, we've lost by fine margins, some of it our own doing, but if we carry any more extra pressure, it's going to be too much of a weight to bear. We just have to worry about what we do on Saturday, that's it.
"As big as the last game was, we can only concentrate on the game in front of us. Obviously the results haven't gone our way. But we'll prepare with as much detail as the past two games. I'm worried if we lose one game. We'll worry about that if it happens, to be fair."
While Italy have been the Six Nations whipping boys since they arrived in the competition in 2000, they have been something of a bogey team for Scotland and always target this game as one they can win, a confidence justified by their record of having won five of the eight Six Nations matches between the sides played in Rome.
"The only pressure the players have got is from themselves," insisted Hines. "You can take what you want from outside influences but, at the end of the day, you know what you've done, what you needed to do and whether you did it. That's going to be the determining factor in the games ahead."
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