RIVALRY AND RESPECT
McInally is hoping he can keep Scots No 2 jersey by getting the better of rival Brown
AS EDINBURGH hooker Stuart McInally packs down for the first scrum of the game at Scotstoun on Saturday, he’ll be up close and personal with Glasgow Warriors counterpart Fraser Brown. In terms of headto-head clashes, this one is as literal as they come.
Indeed, he could whisper sweet nothings in his ear, if he so wished...
That, of course, is unlikely but there is no doubting the respect two of the main contenders for the Scotland No 2 jersey have for each other. The battle to start against Wales in Cardiff as the Six Nations kicks off is fierce — but friendly.
McInally is the man in possession at the moment after starting all three November Tests against Samoa, New Zealand and Australia. Brown missed the first two matches through injury, but returned on the bench against the Wallabies.
They are similar in style. Both former back-rows, both mobile and suited to Gregor Townsend’s expansive gameplan.
Arguably, McInally is stronger at the lineout, with the same applying to Brown at the scrum. There seems little between them.
Hence, the importance of this inter-city double-header, with McInally and Edinburgh enjoying first blood after their dramatic 18-17 victory last Saturday.
‘Fraser is a brilliant player and he was my captain at Under-20 level, so we know each other well,’ said McInally.
‘He is a year older than me and I was playing in the back row and he was hooker at Under-20 level. He led by example — and still does.
‘I try not to get caught up in individual battles but, in these big derby games, the emotion just kicks in, so I have to just concentrate on my own game.
‘I have huge respect for Fraser. He only came back for Glasgow a few weeks ago after injury, so he will be raring to go.’
Given the proximity to the Six Nations, there is no escaping the Scotland dimension to these matches.
And, now McInally has had a taste of life in the starting XV, he is in no mood to give it up. ‘The Scotland stuff was brilliant, so I was really happy with it and want to keep getting game-time,’ he continued. ‘I like the way Gregor wants to play, which is very fast. I enjoy it and I have taken a lot of confidence from consistent starts, which didn’t happen that often for me when I changed positions from back row to hooker a few years ago.
‘It hasn’t always been perfect not playing every week, but now I have had time to get used to the No 2 jersey and playing there consistently.’
A major reason for Edinburgh’s victory last weekend was the way McInally captained his team. Down to 14 men for 74 minutes after Simon Berghan was sent off for stamping on the head of Brown, he led them superbly.
Those qualities will have been noted by Townsend when it comes to forming his leadership group for the Six Nations.
‘I just said we all had to give an extra 10 per cent — and that makes up the extra man. The boys did that,’ said McInally. ‘There were no big speeches from me. I just told the boys we had to get on with it. We adapted well and our gameplan didn’t change.
‘At the end, though, I was absolutely hanging. More than 70 minutes of that was tough.
‘Glasgow will be smarting and they’ll want to put it right. They will be disappointed with the result given they were a man up for almost the whole game.
‘That win helps us believe in ourselves a lot more. Believing in ourselves is something that we’ve struggled with in past years. Glasgow are one of the top teams in the Pro14, if not the form team, so it was nice to beat them.’
Brown, meanwhile, is under no illusions about the fight he faces for the national No 2 jersey.
‘When I went back into the Scotland camp for the last couple of weeks of the November Tests, the atmosphere was great and the style of play they were trying to execute was brilliant,’ said the Warriors man.
‘Stuart benefited from that because a good environment always helps you play well.
‘These derby games are going to be good as a head-to-head to see where we are both at.’
Brown also tried to play down the head stamp by Edinburgh prop Berghan, who was rightly sent off.
‘It was just an accident,’ he said. ‘I spoke to Bergs afterwards. I know it wasn’t malicious.’