Scotland: Finished in an encouraging third place after two wins
As we do after a major tournament, we look at the state of affairs in each of the competing nations. Next up, we have third-placed Scotland.
Losing a head coach and following their shock end-of-year defeat to Tonga, Scottish supporters would have been forgiven for biting your hand off if offered the option of a third-placed finish in the Six Nations. Even better was that going into Round Four the Scots were in the mix for the Championship.
Two wins out of three - the victories coming against Italy and Ireland - were ultimately impacted by closing defeats to Wales and France, but heart is definitely taken from their efforts. Furthermore, their tries scored totalled a decent seven, which is a massive response to their usual Achilles heel. Only eventual champions Wales scored more five-pointers than the men from Murrayfield, with the tries having come from five different backline players.
A couple of those were full-back Stuart Hogg's, who was a shining light for them, while the leadership of Kelly Brown was superb. Brown typified the industrious nature of the squad that was highlighted during their win over the Irish at Murrayfield. How they beat those statistics remains a mystery.
The foundations are certainly in place for consistency in both performance and selection, as Ryan Grant showed he is more than capable of filling the shoes of Allan Jacobsen at loosehead prop, while the lock and back-row pretty much picks itself. Further behind, Greig Laidlaw's showing in Paris was impressive and the scrum-half regularly did well alongside first Ruaridh Jackson and more recently Duncan Weir. He's a dark horse for the Lions tour.
Laidlaw finished the Championship in second place on the points tally with five conversions and seventeen penalties in an 88% record off the tee, while Brown was second in both the tackles completed and turnovers won column in a Six Nations campaign that saw him bloodied but most definitely not unbowed.
Credit must also go to the interim coaching duo of Scott Johnson and Dean Ryan, the latter swapping the television studio for the touchline in a move many had hoped he would make due to his rugby knowledge. Ryan now goes back to the broadcast studio in a move that was always the plan, despite being humbled by his stint in the job. We believe it may be the beginning of other such roles for him before he possibly moves back into full-time coaching.
In summary, there were more positives than negatives with one gripe possibly being the creativity in the three-quarters. There is no question they have finishing talent in Sean Maitland and Tim Visser but whether Sean Lamont provides enough try-scoring opportunities remains one unsolved query. For now though, a call needs to be made on who will lead the side through to their June clashes with Samoa and South Africa at Mbombela Stadium and Kings Park.
Comments
stugur says...
Yup, Lamont to the bench were he can come on for either wing or centre and bring in Dunbar or Bennet. Cant think of too many other changes that would make a huge difference, Maybe Fusaro?
Posted 02:49 21st March 2013
NHsaints says...
Well the Lamont problem is only a temporary one - he's got finishing ability, good defence and pace so he'd be a good sub and as soon as Ansbro is back to health he'll be Scotland's 13.
Posted 19:55 20th March 2013
Lucasrg says...
Scotland just have to play out wide and use the backs, instead of just kicking the ball for territory all the time....Honestly, they played the most boring rugby in the championship.
Their scrum and Laidlaw were the best.
Posted 19:23 20th March 2013
melkdave says...
A very mixeed bag for Scotland imo,this championship,As usual the defence was good,but you have to question have Scotland progressed in the offence.Yes they scored more tries,mostly in their mach against Italy,where 2 where soft,and the other should never have been. ,but they still didnt generate much go forward ball,and had to rely on penalties ,and to be frank the bad play of their opposistion,for their other victory.Scotlands inability to go though any phases,and get over the gain line is still their biggest problem.If Scotland are ever to regain their top table status ,that has to be sorted asap.
Posted 18:30 20th March 2013
5Lock4ward says...
What impresses me most about Scotland's performance is getting these results with the players they failed to include. We all know Brown is a specialist blind-side flank yet he was a real work horse on the open-side. I for one will hope that Barclay returns to form so the Killer B's can be reunited. Also, while I understand Scotland's desire to see what Jackson and Weir have to offer I have to wonder when Heathcote will get his chance and if perhaps Hugo Southwell, although a specialist FB, might not have been worth giving a shot in the 10 shirt. He has massive experience and has captained Wasps back to relevance. It's not unheard of to go from 15 to 10 when needed. Also, for those bashing Lamont's passing, remember that he is a wing primarily so he's more used to holding onto the ball. I think when Ansboro returns he'll be the first choice 13. I was also a bit shocked to see Gilchrist called in over Kellock. The man did captain Scotland to victory over Australia and a 2-0 sweep over Los Pumas in Argentina. If he's still good enough after all that time to be on Scotland's bench then he's good enough to start a test match over a 22 y/o debutant when the tournament is still up for grabs. I'm pleased to see that the coaching staff are still willing to recognize what Euan Murray has to offer but also to see depth at the tight-head position. I'd also like to recognize Johnnie Beattie for a wonderful tournament. It goes to show how foolish the previous regime was in leaving him out in the first place. Hopefully, as I already said Barclay will find a similar way home. Although it is nice to have Strokosch available and Roddy Grant was a nice surprise as well. Praise for Greig Laidlaw and Jim Hamilton as well. Both should be wearing red down under, as should Murray, Brown and Gray if time is on his side with the knee.
Posted 16:13 20th March 2013
Spartacus says...
Good team - I think one more win would have been a better reflection of where this team are, so a bit disapointing that they couldnt scalp at least one of England, Wales or France.
Posted 12:51 20th March 2013
atg77 says...
Agree about Lamont, he's completely stifling Scotland's wide attack. Bring Dunbar, Grove or Bennett in his place ASAP!
Posted 12:34 20th March 2013
Coshie78 says...
Johnson and Ryan did a great job building a team which is difficult to beat. You would assume from their performances that more focus was placed on defensive patterns and defensive breakdown than attack. Even so seven tries is not to be sniffed at.
I'm not sure if Gregor Townsend is still involved, but now they have that platform I would suggest Johnson should give the attack coach more minutes on the training field.
Although they all count, an attack coach is far happier when his "plan comes together" and tries are scored through multi phase structures and planned strike moves. You can then add those that are as a result of individual brilliance like Maitland's versus England or Hogg's versus Italy and other "freak" opportunities eg Sean Lamont versus Italy.
All the teams are fairly strong now and all have been built on strong defensive foundations. It is far easier to implement a resolute defensive culture than attacking flare/intent, players proficient at both are a rarity and Scotland are not alone in needing to find the correct balance in order to improve.
Posted 11:52 20th March 2013