What Scotland need to do against Ireland- backs

Continued from forwards

Backs

Carrying on from yesterday’s piece, it’s time to look at how the Scottish backs need to perform if the team are to be in with a should of turning over the men in green on Saturday. If the pack can be dominant and take the game by the scruff of the neck, the backs need to be able to follow on and play their part.

Although the Irish are without several game-breakers in O’Driscoll, D’Arcy and Horgan they will still have a potent attack, so the Scottish defence needs to be will need structured, organised and aggressive.

Rory Lawson has stated how delighted he is at not only being given the scrum-half starting birth, but the captaincy also. Lawson is a gritty scrum-half who is strong and abrasive and provides good service. Whether the added pressure of being captain for the first time will have a positive or negative affect on his game, Lawson is not one to back down from a challenge.

Play wise, Lawson needs to do what he does best and provide great service for the backs. Lawson is not massive, but does have muscle and packs a punch, so he needs to be a constant nuisance around the set-piece and ruck area. Outside him he has a relatively inexperienced stand-off in Ruaridh Jackson with only 6 caps. Not only will Lawson need to help Jackson settle into this pivotal role, but he needs to be the voice of the whole team. Being scrum-half gives him an advantage in this, as his position enables him to communicate with both the backs and forwards. Lawson has a huge role for Saturday, but if he does it right, he puts himself in a great position for the World Cup in new Zealand.

As already stated Jackson is inexperienced at international level. Jackson really needs to be the link man, and decision maker in attack, and he needs to follow a structured game plan. He must dominate the first receiver role, as this will force structure to the Scottish game.

Take for example last week’s Tri-Nations game between New Zealand and South Africa. Absolutely everything came through Dan Carter, whether it be hit-ups, wide attacks, switch play or kicking, and he completely dominated the game. On the other hand South Africa’s Patrick Lambie was barely seen all game. More often than not a forward was at first receiver for the Springboks, and this direct route was easy to deal with. Even when a genuine first receiver was in place full-back Morne Steyne took the role more often than Lambie. This unstructured, uncontrolled play will do no favors to Scotland, so Jackson needs to go into the game knowing what the plan is, and do everything he can to get the danger men outside him involved in the game.

Jackson needs to be vocal, and not be intimidated or afraid to take control and make decisions. He has a very experienced inside centre in Graeme Morrison outside him, so this will take the pressure off. Morrison will need to work hard and provide a platform. He is good on his feet for such a big man, but he needs to concentrate on taking the ball right through the contact zone and not lose momentum, as every inch gained will make it easier for the forwards.

Morrison needs to be physical. Jackson is not only inexperienced, but is not renowned for his contact skills. Morrison needs to take charge of the defensive line and lead from the front, taking the pressure off Jackson. His close-in duties in attack will be vital due to his physical presence, and he doesn’t need to be fancy. If he is solid and secure opportunities could arise for the outside men.

It would be good to really see what Joe Ansbro can do. He has yet to showcase his full attributes yet at International level, and although we have seen glimpses of his pace, he hasn’t made a huge impact in his 6 caps so far. Hopefully the opportunity will arise for Ansbro to show his running skills out wide, and if he is allowed to play deep this will be easier for him to do. With Morrison doing the close-in, heavy duty work at the inside centre birth, Ansbro may well be able to stay in a deeper position, being the option out the back for Jackson after using Morrison as a decoy.

Defending at 13 is a difficult task, and in Kearney, McFadden and Trimble, Ireland have a back three Ansbro will need to be aware of for the entire duration of the game. He will need to work with his wingers in nullifying the threat from these three men, and this will be a big test for the outside centre and his wingers.

On Saturday Scotland have two wingers of the same build and style of play. Extremelly effective in attack due to their power and pace Nikki Walker and Sean Lamont bring a huge threat in attack. They do both have a similar trait in that they can often be individual players and attack on their own and disregard support around them. They will need to be more switched on and constantly interact with the rest of the team.

Their size and strength means both these wingers will be able to help Morrison provide a platform by coming off their blind-side wings. However, being so big means turning and retrieving kicks is harder for these men than smaller more agile players. With Jonathan Sexton playing at 10 for Ireland, they will need to watch for clever kicks in behind, and work extremely hard to get back and make the right decisions. Neither are known for their kicking games, so full-back Patterson will need to be switched on in order to provide an option to take this pressure off the wingers. In defense, although a big hit is great to see, with the quality of Ireland’s back three, the wingers can not afford to come out of the defensive line to make a big hit only to create openings out wide.

In full-back Chris Patterson Scotland have another leader, so he must take charge of the outside backs. Sexton’s kicking game has already been mentioned, and Patterson’s decision making when Sexton kicks is key in retrieving kicks; when to run, when to kick and when to pass. Patterson will see what is going on from the back so must be in constant contact with Lawson. He is a great cover tackler and this may be needed with the pace of the Ireland back three. Patterson is a World-class goal-kicker, and a close game may come down to him keeping his composure.

The Scotland back-line has a mixture of experience and inexperience, and they must work together to form a tight unit. If Scotland get opportunities to score in the backs they must do so, as opportunities have been squandered in recent games. An early try will give them confidence, and running rugby is not only enjoyable to watch, but enjoyable to play, so hopefully they will get the chance to do so. Again, these players have the first opportunity to put their hand up for a starting place in the World Cup, and we will see who takes advantage of this on Saturday.