Sir Alex can inspire Scots

VERN COTTER is using the wise words of Sir Alex Ferguson to inspire his Scotland team to victory over Australia after the heartache of losing Ross Ford and Jonny Gray to a suspension The SRU yesterday appealed the three-week bans which have ruled Ford and Gray out for the rest of the World Cup — and left the rest of the team nursing a burning sense of injustice ahead of Sunday’s quarter-final at Twickenham. And with emotions sure to be running high, centre Richie Vernon revealed that Cotter has shown the squad a rousing speech by Ferguson

in which the managerial legend warns that high-pressure matches can only be won by ‘playing the game, not the occasion’. ‘Sir Alex has won a few trophies and is a very good man to listen to,’ said Vernon. ‘We watched a video of one of his speeches from a conference he did in Glasgow and part of it was him giving advice on how to play in a final. ‘The major part of the talk was to play the game not the occasion and that will be a big focus for us.’ Chief executive Mark Dodson said the SRU have launched a ‘robust’ appeal against the suspensions for Ford and Gray following their joint illegal tackle on Samoa’s Jack Lam. But they are already preparing to face the Wallabies without the key pair as they are appealing the length of the suspensions rather than the finding of guilt itself, and no date has yet been set for the hearing. With Ireland flanker Sean O’Brien receiving just one week for punching Pascal Pape in the stomach, Dodson has contacted Brett Gosper of World Rugby asking for more consistency in the length of bans handed out. ‘We will be launching a robust appeal to challenge their suspensions, which we feel are unduly harsh,’ said Dodson. Gosper yesterday defended the disciplinary process but said he would be open to suggestions on improvement in time for the next World Cup. An SRU spokesperson said Ford and Gray had both expressed surprise and disappointment at their punishments. ‘Both have exemplary records and are widely acknowledged as model professionals who play the game in the right spirit and their actions had no malice or harmful intention,’ said the spokesperson.