Punishing lesson but target still in reach

THAT was a tough lesson for Scotland. Physically, South Africa battered them, especially in the first half and it was not just in the forwards — it was everywhere. Every time Scotland carried the ball in the first half, they got smashed back in the tackle. It didn’t matter if it was Josh Strauss or Richie Gray upfront, or Matt Scott or Richie Vernon in the backs, South Africa won just about every collision. This meant Scotland never got on the front foot and that makes playing the game so much harder. We got smashed when we had the ball and we could not cope with South Africa’s physicality when they had the ball. When the Springboks carried it into contact, the sheer weight of the ball carrier allowed them to get over the gain line every time. Scotland didn’t miss many tackles. They just didn’t have the weight of tackle required to knock their opponents back. This was the real South Africa; bruising, physical, relentless and when they are in this mood, they are very difficult to play against. The reality is there is nothing Scotland could have done differently. We can’t suddenly make the players bigger. In fact, this was probably Scotland’s biggest-ever team and still we came off second best in the physical battles. Our only try came from an interception and this was the only time we looked like scoring. That highlights how tough things were for Scotland. We dug deep in the second half and there was some serious effort put in by all the players, considering how much of a physical battering they were taking. This was a reality check. We knew Scotland would probably win the first two games in the group to prepare us for the two big tests against South Africa and Samoa. We knew that things would get tougher. We maybe didn’t think it would be quite as tough as it was on Saturday, but nothing has changed. The target was always to win three games and qualify for the knockout stage of this World Cup. Victory next Saturday against Samoa will mean it is mission accomplished.