DID many of the young Scottish players experiencing Wales' Principality Stadium in February simply freeze when confronted by the loud, hostile atmosphere in the ground?
It might explain the dreadful result but, rest assured, this weekend there is going to be at least one player experiencing time on the pitch for the first time who says he knows what to expect and and he can cope.
Adam Hastings knows the ground as a spectator and believes that has given him a taste of what to expect when he almost certainly deputises for Finn Russell at fly half in Saturday's team.
"I have been there a few times when I was at school [at Millfield]," he said. "I have a lot of Welsh friends and would go to games with them. It is an amazing atmosphere, especially when the roof is closed – it is bouncing.
"They are very passionate fans the Welsh, lots of singing, shouting. We can expect it to be very loud but it is just noise isn't it? It shouldn't affect you too much.
"When boys pull on an international jersey they are a different animal. Wales are a prime example of that. They’re a really good team, they’re physical and have got some really good backs. It will be a tough game."
It will certainly be a radically different atmosphere to the one when he won his first cap in Canada over the summer, though he reckons playing in Argentina gives him a better feel for what to expect.
"I can take a lot of confidence from Argentina," he said. "It was one of my better games on tour – a loud South American crowd and a pretty hostile environment, rain chucking down for most of the second half. We can take confidence from that, it was a really good performance [a 44-15 win].
"I’m a proud Scotsman and it’s not nice to see your country lose [as they did in February], especially against Wales – I’ve got a lot of Welsh mates. If I’m involved I'll be wanting to win."
Despite those three caps – he also played against the USA – Hastings feels that playing back in the UK is almost like a second debut: "You watch the Six Nations growing up and they are the big internationals of the year if the World Cup is not on," he said. "If I do play, it will be an amazing experience."
Hastings is coming into the game in form, settling into the fly half role with Glasgow Warriors so seamlessly that the team has been able to shrug off the loss of Finn Russell.
"It’s just a confidence thing," he said. "Last season, when I was playing I was not getting consistent game time. You maybe try too hard – or not hard enough because you might be scared to make mistakes. Now, I’ve been given time in the seat and Dave Rennie has backed me"
The link with Doddie Weir also adds something to the game from Adam Hastings' point of view. His father, Gavin, played with Weir and is a personal friend while Scott, his uncle, not only played at the same time but is a trustee for the My Name'5 Doddie charity that Weir set up to raise money for research into motor neurone disease, the condition he is suffering from.
"I met him quite a few times when I was younger. The boys will be having that at the back of their minds this weekend,” Hastings added.
"I don’t know how he has been so positive with the whole thing, I definitely wouldn’t be. He seems to have just taken it in his stride, it almost doesn’t seem to be bothering him. It’s pretty inspiring.”
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