Stern Vern set for his last throw of the dice
Respected coach Cotter targets a final flourish in the Six Nations
Familiarity may breed contempt in some cases, but nothing could be further from the truth for Vern Cotter when it comes to naming his Six Nations squad today for the final time as head coach of Scotland.
indeed, such has been the Kiwi’s impact over the past two-and-ahalf years, the parting of ways come the end of the Championship will no doubt be met with sorrow by players and staff alike.
He may be ‘Stern Vern’ but the 54-year-old, who will join montpellier in the summer, has certainly won the affection of those he has championed throughout his reign.
Finn russell, Stuart Hogg, Jonny Gray and tommy Seymour have all blossomed during his tenure and while credit must also go to Cotter’s anointed successor Gregor townsend for the work he has done with them at Glasgow Warriors, the encouragement they have received at international level has been integral to their development.
Fly-half russell, in particular, is now emerging as a world-class talent, with the interest shown in him of late from England and France a sure sign of his progress.
His form will go a long way to making or breaking Scotland’s Six Nations chances — and he will be eager to repay the faith Cotter has shown in him by sending the Kiwi off with a successful tournament.
Cotter handed russell his debut in his first game as head coach against the USa in Houston back in June 2014 and has selected him in his starting XV every time he has been fit since.
and Cotter’s man-management skills were never so apparent when russell’s reckless tackle on Dan Biggar of Wales during the 2015 Six Nations led to his yellow card being upgraded to red and questions being asked of the youngster’s temperament.
the stand-off bounced back in some style and has since cemented his place as a first pick for both club and country.
yet, russell’s importance to Cotter comes with a caveat. While the Scot (below) is a player to build a team around, there is no likefor-like replacement at No10 should injury strike. in fact, it’s a lack of strength in depth in a couple of key positions that present the biggest danger to Scotland’s hopes of providing Cotter with a fitting send off.
Waiting in the wings at ten is Duncan Weir of Edinburgh, who is solid rather than spectacular, while ruaridh Jackson is not getting much game time at Harlequins.
Warriors target adam Hastings certainly has potential and it would do no harm to invite him to train with the squad with an eye on the future, but it would be asking a lot of the Scotland Under-20 cap to step up at this early juncture in his career. at full-back, it is a similar story. it is, of course, unrealistic to expect a nation the size of Scotland to have two No15s of the same quality as Hogg, but that would not lessen the blow should he succumb to injury or be hit with suspension. the likelihood would be for winger Sean maitland to step across and fill the gap. looking through the rest of the back division, the in-form Seymour stands out as another who would be difficult to replace. the Warriors winger is currently the top try-scorer in the Guinness Pro12, with an impressive eight touchdowns in ten matches. the only question is whether maitland or tim Visser start on the opposing wing. it is perhaps in the centres that Cotter has the most room for manoeuvre, with the quality and quantity there providing a welcome headache. matt Scott, of Gloucester, was unfortunate to miss out on selection for the autumn tests, but he is likely to be included alongside alex Dunbar, Huw Jones and Duncan taylor. Such is the standard that mark Bennett, who played for Cotter at Clermont earlier in his career, may be the one to drop out — at least at first as injuries could easily see all five used over the course of the tournament. Greig laidlaw, from scrum-half, will captain Scotland again, but could this Six Nations be his last? the 31-year-old will leave Gloucester for a crack at the top 14 with Clermont in the summer.
the French side have already tried to apply some pressure on laidlaw to take a step back from his international career and, with Henry Pyrgos and now ali Price emerging, it remains to be seen how long this great servant to the Scottish game will continue.
laidlaw remains Scotland’s most reliable goal-kicker — although russell is a contender — and it will be interesting to see how much game time his two would-be successors enjoy, with Cotter historically reluctant to remove his skipper from the fray.
in front of laidlaw will be a Scotland pack that has also improved greatly over the past two seasons.
tighthead WP Nel may be a doubt with a neck injury that forced him off during Edinburgh’s European Challenge Cup win over Harlequins at the weekend but, 22-year-old Zander Fagerson of Glasgow showed he was good enough to fill his boots in the autumn tests. Jon Welsh could also earn a recall to the squad after his superb form for Newcastle Falcons.
at loosehead, first-choice alasdair Dickinson is set to miss the first two Six Nations matches with a broken foot, but that blow has been softened by the recent form of Gordon reid and allan Dell. and at hooker, either ross Ford or Fraser Brown will start, with Stuart mcinally and Pat macarthur fighting it out for the third spot.
in the second row, lions contenders Jonny and richie Gray provide the perfect starting partnership with tim Swinson, a ready-made replacement on the bench.
Edinburgh lock Grant Gilchrist has, of course, captained Scotland in the past and will provide more than adequate cover.
in the back row, magnus Bradbury won his first Scotland cap against argentina in November while adam ashe has recently returned after a shoulder operation.
then you have Hamish Watson, who played all three Scotland games during the autumn tests and will start at seven, even if the more experienced John Hardie is fit.
Stalwarts John Barclay, ryan Wilson and rob Harley are also in the mix, with Josh Strauss another who deserves to be in the squad on merit, but now looks likely to miss out.
three of Scotland’s five fixtures — against ireland, Wales and italy — are at home this campaign and there is a real opportunity for a successful Championship.