DAVID SOLE

HARD HITTING VIEW

This Scotland team are showing no mercy to the opposition

Gregor Townsend’s ‘mid-term’ report card would make very good reading.

After a slightly shaky start against Samoa, Scotland produced two exceptional performances against quality opponents, defeating one by a record margin and almost making history with a first-ever victory against the All Blacks.

What’s more, these games were played with a number of players – who could probably consider themselves first-choices – unavailable through injury.

The most-striking loss was Stuart Hogg in the warm-up before the final match of the autumn series.

That match against the Wallabies was the most impressive in my view.

Having played out of their skins the previous weekend against the reigning World Champions, backing up that performance with a record victory said an awful lot about this group of players.

Even with the clock running down, the hunger to score more points was self-evident and it showed that the team had developed a ruthless edge.

When they saw a team about to capitulate, they put the knife in deep and then twisted it. There was no mercy. Great sides all have that capacity. They can sniff a weakness and then they exploit it relentlessly.

There were signs of that last season under Vern Cotter, but against Australia, it was taken to a new level.

Yet one cannot underestimate the impact of Hogg’s withdrawal.

To play without such a gamechanger could have impacted on the mind-set of the players in a negative way – but the opposite held true.

The players seemed to raise their game, and it was hard to tell that there had been a last minute re-shuffle in the line-up. Impressive stuff, indeed. A number of players really stepped up to the plate as well.

With Ross Ford and Fraser Brown both unavailable, Stuart McInally proved that he has learnt quickly, and some of the previous shortcomings of his set-piece play have been set to rest.

His scrummaging and line-out were all but faultless, and no-one can question his contribution in open play. He will be hard to dislodge come the Six Nations.

Similarly, Ali Price has made life very difficult for Greig Laidlaw.

Price’s style suits the dynamic, fast game that Scotland are playing, and with Finn Russell’s kicking every bit as accurate as Laidlaw’s, it may be difficult for the Borderer to find his way back into the team, especially since John Barclays’ leadership credentials grow with every game.

So, all in all, Scotland will go into their Christmas break with their reputation enhanced and looking forward to the upcoming Six Nations.