Laidlaw calls for better discipline and defence
NO player more epitomised the era of Vern Cotter than Greig Laidlaw, his Scotland captain.
The little halfback does not have a break to speak of, does not tackle like a flanker or have a quicksilver pass. But he boasts a ferocious competitive spirit, a peerless rugby brain, superb goalkicking under pressure, great leadership qualities and an ability to wring the best out of those around him.
In the Borderer’s absence since breaking a leg – apart from his appearances for the British and Irish Lions, his last test was captaining Scotland in Paris last year – Cotter has departed as head coach and Gregor Townsend has arrived.
With Ali Price at halfback, results have been impressive. Thanks to his great break and desire to play fast and loose, the youngster has looked like the definitive Townsend player.
Cardiff was Townsend and Price’s first major speed bump, and it coincided with Laidlaw’s return. He had played only a couple of games for his new club, Clermont Auvergne, and would probably have come on for the last 10 minutes if Scotland had been going well.
Instead, he appeared after 48 minutes (eight minutes too late for most Scotland supporters) as the Scots tried to steady their sinking ship. His analysis of Scotland’s shortcomings, and his prognosis for France at Murrayfield tomorrow, will strike a chord with Scotland supporters.
‘‘We don’t want to be frantic, we want to play disciplined rugby that is also quick rugby,’’ he said. ‘‘We got away from that last weekend. When we start doing that, we start coughing up balls.
‘‘Wales were able to live off our mistakes because we were trying to play fast all the time when maybe we were not set. We also need to be more pragmatic, play that testrugby mentality to get the ball downfield and back our defence.’’
Ah, Scotland’s defence. Against Wales, it was shambolic, as hesitant as against Samoa but with more devastating effects. ‘‘In our defence we were off the ball,’’ said Laidlaw. ‘‘We were not excited enough to defend. We were maybe thinking too much about attacking.’’
Part of Laidlaw’s genius under Cotter was extracting the best from Finn Russell.
The first-five can be a creative genius for Scotland, but against Wales his determination to attack no matter the circumstances proved a liability. With help from the experienced Peter Horne at second-five, Laidlaw expects a Telegraph, London GETTY IMAGES more balanced game from Russell this time. ‘‘I will be saying to Finn ‘this is test-match rugby’,’’ says Laidlaw. ‘‘Finn understands that, but gets excitable. We love the fact that he wants to always attack, but I’ll be encouraging him to play what’s in front of him.
‘‘The centres have a big role. Everybody talks about the nine and 10, but the centres have a massive role to play.
‘‘They sit in behind and have a little bit more time and space to read the game. As a collective, everyone needs to step up to the plate.’’
Laidlaw says he feels rejuvenated after a much-needed rest, but it is his leadership and tactical acumen that Scotland need most.
With captain John Barclay invariably at the bottom of rucks, the halfback will be arguably the key decision- maker.
‘‘Gregor’s named me as vicecaptain, but nothing changes because Barcs is a great captain,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ll slip right in and help him out. He’ll deal with the forwards, I’ll take care of the backs.
‘‘As a collective we let each other down last weekend, but we have a Plan B,’’ he said.
‘‘We need to get back on the horse and fix things, to defend for each other, to knock those French boys down, to tire them out. It’s up to us to show what it means to play for Scotland.’’