Let's focus on the future - James Hook

Feb 7 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

JAMES HOOK has urged Wales to forget about having made history at Twickenham and concentrate on the here and now against Scotland.

Hook says all the hard work that brought the victory over England will “go down the pan” if it’s followed by a home defeat at the hands of the “hugely physical” Scots.

The Ospreys fly-half was named man of the match after kicking 16 points and creating a try in last Saturday’s landmark win over the old enemy – the first Welsh victory at Twickers since 1988.

But he’s more interested in looking forward than looking back.

“To be honest, it doesn’t really faze me that much about history and 20 years and things like that,” he said.

“Obviously the boys were delighted and it was brilliant to get a win against England, the World Cup finalists.

“But we are looking ahead to Scotland now. It’s a big Six Nations for us. We’ve had a great start and we’ve got to try and carry that on.

“If we lose to Scotland, it’s all going to go down the pan, so we are not getting carried away with making history and all that.

“At the end of your career, you can look back at things like that, but at the moment I am just focusing on this week and beyond. It’s the present and the future we are really concerned about.”

On a personal note, Hook is aiming to build on his display at Twickers where he really came into his own in the second half and guided Wales to a stunning 26-19 triumph.

“It’s been a great start for me under the new coaches and I just want to keep it going now and keep my form up,” said the 22-year-old. “I am learning every game and picking up different experiences.

“It was two different halves for me really. In the first, I put one kick out on the full and a couple of kicks could have gone up in the air when they went long.

“In the second, we did what we know we can do best and that’s keep the ball in hand and run.

“England couldn’t cope with it and we broke them down. We had two opportunities and we took them both.

“Having looked at the video, I’ve learned an awful lot from that game. It’s a step in the right direction for me.

“I was pretty happy with the way I kicked at goal. I was 100 per cent.

“I’ve been kicking quite well for the last month or two with the Ospreys, so I was quite confident going into the game. It went well for me and I was really pleased.

“As an international outside-half, you’ve got to be comfortable in everything you do.

“Running is my natural game, but I’m learning to do my all-round game. I’m only going to learn by playing.”

Coach Warren Gatland was also pleased with the way Hook stepped up to the plate in the second half, taking particular pleasure from the moment of magic that set up a try for full-back Lee Byrne.

“In the first half, James put one kick out on the full and had a cross kick that put us under all sorts of pressure,” said the New Zealander. “But he’s a player with an enormous amount of potential and skill.

“I thought the skill he showed to create the try for Lee Byrne was quite sensational – the footwork, the sleight of hand.

“The fact he kicked his goals was as important as anything. If Wales had kicked their goals against Fiji at the World Cup, they would have made the quarter-finals.

“As a 10, I think James will get better. He needs to get a bit more vocal and dominate the game in terms of his demeanour on the field. But he has the potential and ability to become a very, very good player.”

While giving praise where it’s due, Gatland hasn’t held back in terms of slamming certain aspects of Wales’ performances.

But Hook says the players have no problems with that kind of straight-talking. “A lot of that criticism was justified on the first half,” said the young Osprey.

“We didn’t play very well in the first 40 minutes. We made a lot of errors and gave away a lot of silly penalties and let England into the game.

“But, in the second half, we totally turned it around. There were a lot of positives and not many mistakes. We put the points on the board when we needed to and that’s what won us the game. It just shows the determination of the boys to come back.

“But the boys know we made a lot of mistakes and were actually quite lucky to win. So we can definitely improve for Scotland.

“Having a little bit of criticism from the coaches is not going to do us any harm. It’s a lot easier to point out mistakes and sort them out when you win.

“If we’d have lost it would have been harder because there would have been more pressure on us.

“We’ll take a lot of confidence from the result and move on and iron out the mistakes.”

The 21-times capped Hook will be seeking a spot of revenge this weekend, having shared in a humbling 21-9 defeat to the Scots at Murrayfield last season.

“Having played against them last year, they were a hugely physical side,” he said. “I’m expecting a big challenge. They have got great talent pretty much everywhere on the park.

“We don’t want to be giving them silly penalties like we did against England in the first half, especially with Chris Paterson in their team.

“We just need to keep the ball a bit more as we did in the second half on Saturday.”