ANDY NICOL: 傷害s meant I never got to play on Rugby World Cup 行う／開催する／段階

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The talking is over and the Rugby World Cup has begun in earnest. It has been a long time coming but we are off and running for what should be a brilliant festival of rugby over the next six weeks.

本人自身で, there is always a tinge of envy when the World Cup comes around because I never managed to play in one. It is the one anomaly in my career, 特に as I was around for four tournaments but never 現実に laced my boots up in any.

I was in the training squad in 1991 as a 20-year-old and loved every minute with the squad.

Andy Nicol never got to play at a Rugby World Cup as 傷害 否定するd him the chance

Scotland had just won the Grand 激突する the year before and I was asked to join players that I had admired and looked up to. There I was, doing bleep 実験（する）s with the likes of David 単独の, Finlay Calder and John Jeffrey.

I was a student living in Dundee at the time and gave up my summer 職業 as we were training twice a week in Edinburgh and had a few 週末 training （軍の）野営地，陣営s in St Andrews. How things have changed as the 現在の squad have been in （軍の）野営地，陣営 for months training almost every day.

In 1991, there were only 26 players in the squad, which meant only two scrum-halves. With Gary Armstrong 存在 a certainty, the other 位置／汚点／見つけ出す was between the experienced Greig Oliver from Hawick and the skinny young kid from Dundee.

The selectors went for the experience of Oliver, which was probably the 権利 call but still 破滅的な news at the time. Everyone consoled me by 説 I would play in the next three World Cups and I watched Scotland get to within a whisker of making the Final in 1991 with a lot of envy but also the 願望（する） to make the next showpiece in South Africa.

My chances of 達成するing this were dealt a 厳しい blow when I 決裂d my anterior cruciate ligament in June 1994, 12 months before the World Cup.

Scotland 密談する／（身体を）寄せ集める up as they make their final 準備s ahead of their 開始 against Japan

The prognosis at the time was that I would take nine months to 回復する 十分な fitness, so it was always going to be tight. As it turned out, the rehab went very 井戸／弁護士席, which was helped by 存在 at Bath by now and able to train 十分な-time.

I was playing in my fourth game 支援する from the 傷害 when the selectors （機の）カム south to make the 決定／判定勝ち（する） on whether I would go to the World Cup or not as they had 発表するd an ‘AN Other’ in the squad a few weeks earlier.

I had a good first half and I am told the selectors made the 決定／判定勝ち（する） at half-time that I was going. However, 災害 struck seven minutes into the second half when I tore ligaments in my other 膝. So, out of another World Cup and still people consoled me that I would get to the next two.

But it was not to be and その上の 傷害 in 1999 and then retiring before the tournament in 2003 means that a Rugby World Cup is not on my playing CV.

I have, though, been commentating on the last few tournaments and have seen what a brilliant event it has become. Rugby is going to be on the 前線 and 支援する pages, 同様に as on TV, so it has a real 適切な時期 to raise its profile and 刺激する the whole sport here in Scotland.

Scotland's Kevin Bryce is put through his paces at training in Gloucestershire?

We have a squad that can do something special and I am excited by what will happen over the coming weeks.

Making the ４半期/4分の1-決勝戦 is what signifies success or 失敗 for me. We will be 実験（する）d by Japan and USA in the first two games but will have too much for both, so we will go into the game against South Africa 十分な of 信用／信任.

The 選択 for this game could be 利益／興味ing and will depend on any 傷害s that we might have 選ぶd up. Do we therefore 危険 the likes of Stuart Hogg or Finn Russell when the game with Samoa is a week later? South Africa could 証明する too strong for us, which could 井戸／弁護士席 mean, 効果的に, a knock-out game against Samoa in Newcastle.

I believe we will 勝利，勝つ this and 長，率いる into the ４半期/4分の1-final against the 勝利者 of the England/Australia/むちの跡s group at Twickenham. If we 直面する the host nation, that will be 堅い, but if it is either of Australia or むちの跡s, we will have a 権利 割れ目 at them and, who knows, we might just こそこそ動く into a 半分-final.

It is all conjecture as no one really knows what is going to happen. But we can dream...?

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