Ireland moved out of the Paxton Hotel in Bussy Saint-George two weeks ago, Scotland moved in on Thursday, a move Scottish coach Gregor Townsend feels bullish about replicating on Saturday in Stade de France. Displacing Ireland from this Rugby World Cup with a Scotland team that sees 12 changes from the side that blew away Romania, has been Scotland’s mantra all week.
Careful but confident, Scotland are full of respectful vim and spoke of balance and passion and fine lines that can break games, even against the world number one side.
“They [Scotland] have got to deliver their best performance. I believe we’ve had enough experiences good and bad to handle this occasion,” said Townsend. “We learned from South Africa in Marseille. We didn’t deliver our best game there, so we’ve learned form that mentally, tactically. We definitely want to go out there feeling we have nothing to lose.”
Townsend chose his words carefully, while captain Jamie Richie spoke from the heart. The coach was able to bring back his captain and blindside flanker to lead the side after he suffered a controversial head injury in Nice against Tonga, for which wing Afusipa Taumoepeau received a yellow card. Richie was asymptomatic afterwards and has fully recovered.
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“We won’t die wondering,” he said of facing Ireland. “We know exactly where we stand.”
So too is Darcy Graham rewarded for his try scoring spree against Romania, four in all for the Edinburgh right wing with Duhan van der Merwe on the other side, two very different kinds of strike runners. Along with fullback Blair Kingsholm, who earns his 50th cap with Huw jones and Sione Tuipulotu in the centre, Scotland see their best chance if they can get ball to their backline, the more experienced Ali Price muscling in to claim the starting scrumhalf role.
Having studied Ireland’s win over South Africa, Townsend identified the ability to sustain high-tempo aggression and discipline as the most obvious Irish strength they must match.
“Their ability to stay in the fight stood out the most,” said Townsend about Ireland’s beating of the defending world champions.
Scotland have gone for a 6-2 bench split anticipating the fire of Ireland’s breakdown game and ability to suffocate teams and impede the delivery of quality ball to the Scottish backline. But as Townsend explains it, Scotland are in the physical shape of their lives, having been together for months with outhalf and playmaker Finn Russell also taking on a greater leadership role in the side since the retirement of Stuart Hogg earlier this year.
“We know the game is going to be hugely physical and we know how quick ball is crucial to our success and our attack,” said Townsend. “To help that we felt another backrower would bring that freshness, that energy, that aggression that will be required for us to keep producing quick ball. And obviously defensively to slow down opposition ball.
“There was a debate around going to 6-2 in the first place. When we’ve gone 6-2 in the past we have gone two secondrows. We just felt Luke’s [Crosbie] aggression both sides of the ball and his performance against Romania was outstanding. He didn’t get mentioned much after the game but the amount of rucks he hit, the tough carries he had to do showed us he’s ready to make a difference.”
As well as the team performance there are many head to heads to shape the outcome. Johnny Sexton and Russell at pivot, scrumhalves Price and Jamison Gibson-Park, fullbacks Hugo Keenan and Kingsholm and the Scotland captain facing into another battle with the most recent centurion, 100-cap Peter O’Mahony.
O’Mahony – what a bugger to play against, Richie was asked. “You said, not me,” quipped the Scotland captain.
“I think it is a credit to him. He’s a very abrasive and robust player, when you play the position we do, to reach 100 caps is no mean feat, especially in a team as good as Ireland, so it’s testament to him and how good he’s been over the years. So, we congratulate him on that. But we’ll be looking to get on the right side of the result.”
He can go to dark places, Richie was warned, as aspect about which he didn’t need reminding.
“Probably, but that’s the way it usually goes in Test matches, especially when you play in the backrow,” he said. “You need to be willing to go in there and prepare yourself to go through a bit of pain.”
There was no room for Ben Healy in the matchday 23.
Scotland: Blair Kinghorn; Darcy Graham, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, Zander Fagerson; Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Jamie Ritchie, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey.
Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, WP Nel, Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, Luke Crosbie, George Horne, Ollie Smith.
