So, Scotland can score tries. They can’t as yet win games, though.
Scotland’s 27–13 defeat away to Wales this afternoon proved that some things are soluble, but other – more important – issues are not, at least as yet.
It also showed that Scotland have a serious problem with restarts. You would think they would practise them, or at least give the impression that they had.
But for the second successive Six Nations game, Scotland went into half time toe-to-toe with their opponents and once again they lost the game within seconds of the second half kicking off.
Last week it was 6–3 to Scotland at the break only for England to grab a lucky try within seconds of kicking off the second period thanks to some hesitant, woeful and poor Scotland defending.
This week it was 3–3 at the break. Chris Cusiter messed up the restart. Suddenly Wales had an attacking line-out yards from the Scotland line and the Welshmen kept the pressure on. Scotland defended for a minute-and-a-half but the wall broke soon enough, giving Alex Cuthbert the chance to break Greig Laidlaw’s weak tackle and score.
Wales ran out comfortable winners in the end, but everything stemmed from that botched restart. From that moment, Scotland were chasing the game and Wales were confident. Scotland’s problems were compounded as first Nick de Luca and then Rory Lamont received yellow cards which meant that Scotland had to fight for the best part of 20 minutes with 14 players.
And, against a side as good as Wales – at home, with their tails up – Scotland were lucky not to lose by an even bigger margin.
It was a shame because, apart from that 15-minute spell after half time, Scotland were more than a match for their opponents.
For the final 20 minutes, Scotland were the better team, scoring their first try in five matches through Greig Laidlaw and being denied a second only by the mistaken call of a knock-on by the referee who thus prevented Stuart Hogg from scoring a try on his first appearance for Scotland.
The forwards were solid and the back row immense. Hogg was a delight when he came on, Mike Blair sped up play when he replaced Cusiter and Lee Jones showed enough to suggest he has a good future ahead of him.
Laidlaw was quick and cheeky with his try, but his back play lacked invention. Time and again in the first half, Laidlaw fed the ball deep to the centre running on behind a back row player but Wales were sharp to the tactic – it had been used many times against England.
To keep the defence honest, he should have chipped over the top more, forcing Wales to defend deeper, but he kept passing the same lines – and, against a defence as good as Wales’, this didn’t get Scotland very far.
Scotland were better in the latter period second half as Wales tired and Blair started to challenge round the fringes, but the ten, 12, 13 channel was not working, Scotland were firing the passes too deep and not threatening enough close to the gain line.
The upshot is that Scotland have a pack to match any in the Six Nations. It can equal all up front and win more than its fair share of line-out ball.
What Scotland don’t have is a set of backs quick enough to pass the ball in front of the man, run on to it and repeat the process, stretching their opponents. And, without wholesale changes, it is difficult to see where this threat is going to come from.
Yes, Andy Robinson could bring in Matt Scott at 12, hope Jo Ansbro comes back soon at 13 and wait until Tim Visser can take the number 11 shirt – but, even with these changes, Scotland are going to struggle.
They need the confidence that comes with winning and, with France at home and Ireland and Italy away, the season is just going to get more difficult.
Someone suggested at the start of the season that Scotland should just go with the Glasgow pack and the Edinburgh backs. Given Edinburgh’s feats in Europe this season, that might not look as daft as it first appeared.
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