FINE WORK AFTER HARD TOIL

THIS was very similar to the Japan game. Lots of effort in the first half but not much inspiration, which meant things were a bit nervy by the interval. But this time it was Scotland’s shortcomings that were making things closer rather than anything the USA were doing. We made far too many mistakes which halted any momentum we had created — and certainly butchered a few potential tries. It seemed we were trying too hard, forcing passes and attempting to win the game in the first period rather than letting things develop. No one is going to roll over in this World Cup, you have to earn the right to score tries through hard work and breaking the opposition down. But Scotland did not do this. The game was quite loose which meant some of the players got carried away and made some basic mistakes they would not ordinarily make. Stuart Hogg made a searing break, showing pace and balance. All he had to do was deliver a simple pass to Tim Visser and Scotland would have had their first try. Inexplicably, for a man with so much talent, he threw a shocking pass and the chance was wasted. This was at a key period in the match, just after USA had scored a try which took them into the lead, and would have eased the pressure. I imagine Vern Cotter read the riot act at half-time and it certainly worked because we were a different team in the second half. The changes made a difference. Both firstchoice props Al Dickinson and WP Nel came on and carried the ball impressively as well as locking out the scrum. Matt Scott also made an impact from the bench. But the one worrying sign was the injury to Finn Russell. He looked to do something to his ankle and let’s hope it is not too serious because he is crucial to our chances. This was a far from perfect performance but it resulted in another five tries being scored, which means Scotland have 10 points from the first two games. Job done!