Robinson blasts 'arrogant' English

Scotland coach Andy Robinson has stirred the pot ahead of the Six Nations by claiming that England's arrogance was what cost them at the World Cup.

Despite seeing off Scotland in their final group game, England failed to get past France in their World Cup quarterfinal and this, as well as some high-profile incidents away from the pitch, led to Martin Johnson's resignation.

Robinson is now preparing to enact some revenge on their Auld Enemy when the two sides clash on February 4 in Scotland’s Six Nations opener.

And Robinson, a former England coach, has already got the battle going with a war of words.

"It's important for any team to show humility, especially when you are winning," Robinson told The Mail on Sunday.

"I thought a number of England players undermined this in the arrogance they showed. They know who they are and it was not across the board but unfortunately the whole squad got tarnished.

"You need self-belief in players, of course, but you also need to possess some humility, and a number of players overstepped the mark.

"When my time ended with England six years ago, it was because we were losing Tests. They were mostly by small margins but we were still losing.

"What surprises me about England now is that they fell into a downward spiral while winning," he added.

"It wasn't results that undermined them but the other stuff. They self-destructed."