Facing the prospect of a third defeat in three games after last season's latest wooden spoon, Frank Hadden is a coach under pressure and it showed in his daring selection to play Ireland yesterday. The tryless Scots' hitherto prosaic backline has been infused with four wingers.
Dan Parks' kicking game and non-threatening running game has been sacrificed, with Chris Paterson injecting a running threat at outhalf, which in turn makes way for the return of Rory Lamont, while Simon Webster, another nominal winger, is recalled at outside centre in place of Nick de Luca, whose unfortunate early forays into Test rugby have drained his confidence.
Up front, Jim Hamilton's bulk has been sacrificed in what looks like an attempt to target Bernard Jackman's throw with the inclusion of Scott MacLeod, an ex-basketball, late-starting, late-developing lock more in the mould of Scott Murray.
Talismanic, leader-from-the-front Jason White, is still suffering headaches and is replaced by Alasdair Strokosch, who has modelled himself on White and has a black belt in karate. Having joined Gloucester in the summer, he was about ninth in the backrow pecking order until becoming the English Premiership player of the month for December.
Playing down Paterson's latest if rare and undistinguished outing at outhalf for Gloucester against Bristol on Sunday, Hadden said: "He looked sharp, fresh, threatening and there was enough in his performance. I had a good long chat with him afterwards which helped give me confidence to make this decision."
Hadden also pointed out "Simon Webster has experience of playing at 13 in the World Cup. It is a strong running, dangerous looking backline. It doesn't mean we've lost faith in Nick De Luca because he's still on the bench."
"We felt we let the supporters down who had taken the effort to go to Wales and we are absolutely determined to make the many travelling fans who will be going to Ireland this weekend proud of our performance."
A couple of vacancies have been left in the backrow, with Hadden to choose two from John Barclay, Ally Hogg, Kelly Brown and Ross Rennie, given Simon Taylor's food poisoning prevented him from playing for Stade Francais last weekend. Barclay required nine stitches in his hand after a dinner party guest sat on his hand, while he was holding a glass on a chair. "Sadly there was no damage to the person's rear end," noted Hadden.
