GUIDING STAR
After the chaos of Cardiff, Townsend turns to old hand Laidlaw to be our
HE is expected to dictate the pace, curb the excessive enthusiasm of a brilliant but ‘excitable’ playmaker, set a reassuring tone for his brothers in blue… oh, and contribute a decent haul of points en route to a restorative victory.
it is a wonder Greig Laidlaw can even walk, given the weight on his shoulders heading into tomorrow’s NatWest six Nations encounter at Murrayfield.
The former skipper, back from injury and restored to the No9 jersey in a vice-captain’s role, is expected to be the catalyst for a scotland revival against France.
Watching from the bench last weekend as Ali Price was consumed by the occasion and the team were torn asunder, Laidlaw suffered as much as anyone. He knows a repeat performance is absolutely unthinkable.
What he brings to the team tomorrow, hopefully, is more than can be measured in passes made, yards gained or even useful pauses stolen amid the frenzy.
Laidlaw will lead. And the players around him will raise their games. Perhaps the most obvious beneficiary of the veteran winning his 60th cap should be Finn Russell, who looked as lost as anyone in the Principality stadium last saturday afternoon.
At his best, Russell can destroy any defence. When he’s forcing play, however, it’s often his own team who suffer the most damage.
Laidlaw accepts responsibility for mentoring a 25-year-old bound for Racing 92 next summer.
The Clermont Auvergne scrumhalf explained his message to Russell in simple terms, revealing: ‘i will be saying: “This is Test match rugby”.
‘Finn understands that as well. He gets excitable and he loves that side of it. He wants to always attack.
‘i will just be keeping tabs on him. Make sure he is not getting too excited.
‘He likes to attack, which is brilliant. i would never take that away from him. But i can help steer him from inside. The centres have a big role in doing that as well.
‘i will be encouraging him to pick his head up, see what is in front of him.
‘if they have 14 boys in the front line, there has to be space in the back field.
‘if there is space in the back field, we get it down there and we back our defence.’
Round Two of the six Nations offers more than just a mere opportunity for swift redemption. it gives Gregor Townsend’s men a chance to prove something about themselves.
Namely, that constantly reiterating their desire to play ‘the fastest rugby in the world’ does not — at least not always — equate to a kind of sporting Brownian motion.
Random collisions and uncontrollable kinetic energy? if that more or less summed up scotland’s uncoordinated showing in their 34-7 loss to Wales, it isn’t the master plan.
‘it can be misleading,’ said Laidlaw of the speed-centric soundbite thrown around so liberally by everyone in the scots’ camp.
‘We don’t want it to be frantic. We want to play disciplined rugby that is also quick rugby.
‘At times, we got away from that last weekend. There is no denying that.
‘if we want to play fast, we need to be fast — and we need to be ready. That is when we maybe need to be a bit more pragmatic.
‘in international rugby, at Test level, you have to understand the ebbs and the flows of the game.
‘The times you are going you have to keep going, keep going, keep hammering them.
‘Then there will be a time in the game on sunday when we will be under the pump, that is for sure.
‘We are playing against a good side here. We will have to grab the game and maybe slow it down, maybe just for a couple of minutes, to get a handle.
‘Or a couple of direct plays to settle the nerves, give everybody a touch of the ball.
‘We have a good plan and, if we can execute it, i think we can win.’
After all the razzmatazz in the build-up to that bleak day in Cardiff, there is a definite sense of ennui among the rugby public about tomorrow’s fixture.
Oh, the 67,000 people lucky enough to get tickets will be willing to roar and cheer a good performance, of course. But expectations have naturally been dampened by that sobering slap-down from the Welsh.
Townsend is no stranger to French rugby and Laidlaw, who will be up against four club-mates in the visiting XV, has been equally useful in the art of intelligence gathering this week.
He has seen a ‘slightly more attritional style’ of the game since his move from Gloucester at the end of last season, with the emphasis on size and power, as much as any traditional flair.
it doesn’t take an insider to pinpoint where France might look to go after scotland, of course, Laidlaw explaining: ‘They’ll always target the scrum. They love their scrummaging.
‘i think they’ll back their attacking game, as well, and will come after our defence — because we leaked a fair few points last weekend.’
The test for scotland will come if they don’t start well. if they fall behind, will the crowd fade from the contest? Will the players still believe? This is where Laidlaw comes in. Not only by keeping the scoreboard ticking over with kicks to goal. But by organising lines and settling nerves.
if you can bear the X-rated violence, check out last year’s 22-16 defeat for the scots in Paris.
When Laidlaw went off injured, one of an incredible seven visitors sent for treatment on the day, Vern Cotter’s men were only 6-5 down — and had scored the only try of the game.
Even as he was limping on one leg, the captain was orchestrating a maul defence that ended in the French conceding a penalty. On two good legs, he is invaluable to scotland.
Lean on him, lads. The smallest man on the field. With — hopefully — the strength to carry anything you throw at him.