Breakdown king plotting Scots revival
CHAOS, panic and confusion. That i s exactly what coach Richie Gray wants Scotland’s opponents to feel for the remainder of t he Six Nations.
Alas, it has largely been Vern Cotter’s men who have been on the receiving end in recent weeks.
But Gray, hired as a breakdown consultant on a short-term deal after his successful stint with South Africa, has been one of the f ew members of the Scotland camp to earn plaudits f ollowing the opening two defeats to England and Wales.
The breakdown gives so many coaches sleepless nights in the modern game, yet the Scots have certainly improved in this vital area since the arrival of the man from Galashiels.
With turnovers being the golden ticket, Gray is tasked with slowing opposition ball down — if not stealing it — in defence and speeding up recycling in attack, as he tries to reconnect with the ‘Scottish Way’.
‘Rucking is a massive thing. It’s in the Scottish psyche,’ he said. ‘It’s that sort of guerrilla warfare rugby when you are in the defensive line and when you come out in attack. It’s one of our traits.
‘You think of the way Scotland won the Grand Slam in 1984 and the Championship in 1999. I can still remember Finlay Calder, that quick tap and he was hit, nearly fell and everybody went behind him and drove.
‘And then John Rutherford hoisting high balls up in the air and the full-back being attacked from every angle.
‘You need the right mentality, work rate and then just go for it. Try to make it as difficult to play against as possible.
‘Chaos, panic and confusion — that’s what you have to create for 80 minutes, which is hard work and takes a lot of effort.’
Gray will hope Scotland, in search of a first Six Nations win in 10 attempts, can muster a game plan to ransack Italy in Rome a week on Saturday.
Once again, the breakdown battle between John Hardie, John Barclay and their Italian counterparts will be pivotal.
So what does this specialist look for from his ball-fetchers?
‘ Speed and strength, the quicker and more accurate you can be, the more you are going to stand a chance,’ he said.
‘Decisions are key. You don’t want to be diving i nto l ost causes. That can cause a lot of problems if all the players honeypot there and you don’t win the ball. The opposition can get momentum and that can put you under huge pressure.
‘ When people t alk about defensive breakdowns, they just talk about balls you can steal. But there are three parts to it.
‘There are balls you can get off the ground and turn over, which is like a gold medal. You then have penalties you might gain from being in there and also you have to try to keep that fight going as long as you can to stop the momentum of their attack.
‘It’s like a game of human chess. I’m sitting thinking: “How many men shall I put in there? Shall I put in another man in attack?”. There are such fine margins, an extra man in there is worth six or seven metres on the field for us.’
Gray knows Scotland must improve again in Rome and wants everyone on the field to be able to execute the breakdown skills he teaches.
Despite having orchestrated a South Africa win over Scotland at the World Cup, he admits he is feeling an extra buzz now he can sing the anthem proudly with a thistle on his chest.
‘You’d be a liar if you said it was easy playing against your own country — it’s not,’ he said.
‘I come from a small town, Galashiels, and if Scotland were to beat a team I was coaching, I wouldn’t be able to walk down the street. The emotions are different with your own country. Flower of Scotland has taken on a whole new meaning.’
Gray aims to make a difference in a short space of time. That difference could be all Scotland need to secure this elusive win.