Ford calls for improved Scots effort
Hooker Ross Ford has emphasised the need for Scotland to raise the efficiency of their performance in the vital match with Wales on Saturday.
Hooker Ross Ford has emphasised the need for Scotland to raise the efficiency of their performance in the vital match with Wales on Saturday.
Frank Hadden's men produced an error-ridden effort in the 27-6 defeat to France in their opening Six Nations clash at Murrayfield.
They now travel to Cardiff this week for the second game of the campaign against a revitalised Wales knowing another defeat will leave them staring at a second successive wooden spoon.
Ford has become an integral part of the pack in the last six months and is relishing pitting his wits against one of the toughest front rows in Europe.
Such is the paucity of top-class hookers in the British Isles that the man from Kelso will be a strong candidate for the Lions party to tour South Africa next year.
For the moment, he is happy to develop his game in the Scotland side and hopes the national side learn from the mistakes made against Marc Lièvremont's new-look France.
“I'm feeling more used to playing at this level which is good. I'm just looking to keep improving,” Ford said.
“The standard I experience in the Heineken Cup for my club is pretty close to what it's like in a Test match.
“Playing in European games is a huge help in terms of my development but what you do notice is the fact small mistakes get really punished in Test matches. Teams will capitalise on our mistakes and we made too many against France.
“You simply can't drop your guard for a minute. You've got to be sharp for the full 80 minutes. That is a big difference.
“In the first half the scrums were going well but in the second the French stepped it up a bit I think. It was frustrating to be doing so well and then to let it slip.
“It's a hard one to put my finger on and I'd need to look at the video properly before making any bold statements but it was maybe a combination of getting a bit tired and also a lack of concentration.”
While Ford acknowledges the mistakes made against France cannot be repeated if Scotland are to prosper in this year's Six Nations, he is adamant they will face Warren Gatland's Wales in a positive frame of mind.
“We need to get rid of the simple errors. If we'd done our job properly it wouldn't have come down to the bounce of the ball which they got at times,” the The 23-year-old added.
“We let them into the game and it was down to our errors which cost us. We'll analyse it on the video and find out what we did wrong and what we need to do to correct and then move forward.”