Redemption and forgiveness appear to be the themes of the rugby week. Manu Tuilagi has been allowed back into the England fold following his conviction for assaulting two female police officers last May, while Ryan Wilson, who was suspended for the duration of the 2015 Six Nations after he, too, was found guilty of assault, put in a sterling shift for Scotland as they ended their nine-match championship losing streak with a 36-20 win in Rome last Saturday.
Wilson’s performance was a reminder of what a fine all-round forward he can be, and it was all the more noteworthy as he had only been promoted from the bench to the starting XV a few hours before kick-off after Dave Denton was ruled out by a groin strain. The highlight of his display was the pass that put John Hardie in for Scotland’s second try, but his particular combination of ball skills and aggression was a significant factor in keeping the Scots on the front foot throughout.
Wilson had actually been removed from Scotland’s naughty step in time for last year’s World Cup and appeared in all four pool matches, three of them in the starting XV. However, Vern Cotter, the Scotland coach, below, then left him out of the initial training squad for this year’s Six Nations. At the time, Wilson had been ordered to appear before a discipline panel to answer a charge that he had grabbed the testicles of a Northampton Saints player during Glasgow’s Champions Cup clash with the English side, but Cotter insisted that his omission had nothing to do with that accusation — it was subsequently dismissed — and was purely a matter of form.
Against that backdrop, and having played such an impressive part in bringing Scotland’s losing streak to a close, you might expect Wilson to feel vindicated. You might think, too, that he would reflect that he had dodged a bullet or nine by having had no involvement in the 2015 championship and by having missed the first two games of this year’s tournament. You’d be wrong.
“When you are not involved with Scotland you just feel gutted because you want to be part of it,” he said. “You feel that, if you were in there, you would be able to help, but I was not able to. I had a good couple of weeks at Glasgow before I came in, and that helped me in terms of rugby and my focus. But when you are not in there you just want it more. It was good for me in that sense, but it is never a good thing not to be involved.”
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In his three years as an international player — he made his debut from the bench against Wales in March 2013 — Wilson has usually been used on the flank by Scotland. He is versatile enough to play in all three back row positions, though, and slotted in superbly at No 8, where he regularly plays for Glasgow, against Italy. It is not clear whether Denton will be fit to play against France in Scotland’s next championship game on Saturday week, but Wilson has unquestionably given Cotter food for thought about which player adds more value to the team.
It is still possible that Wilson could drop out altogether. Josh Strauss flew out to take his bench place in Italy and could overtake Wilson in the pecking order for the France game. Against that, many would argue that Wilson adds a more creative dimension, one that is possibly more in keeping with the kind of rugby Cotter wants his team to play.
So why on earth did Cotter not include Wilson in his original Six Nations squad? “He spoke to me and said he wanted me to work on a few things with Glasgow,” said the 26-year-old. “He said I was very much part of the squad but, if I could get these things right, we would see how we go.”
As they went rather well in the Stadio Olimpico, what of the prospect that he might be back on the sidelines on Saturday week? Wilson said: “I can only do what I can do. We have a high standard of back row players in the squad. My role is to keep my head down and work hard and leave it to Vern. I have done what I can do in the match [against Italy]. It now comes down to the balance of the back row he wants against France. I am here for the team but if I’m not picked I just have to take it on the chin.”