Bravehearts out to rattle Boks
VERN Cotter yesterday defended the radically reshaped Scotland side picked to face a full-strength South Africa today, while captain Greig Laidlaw denounced any suggestion that the team were second best as “disrespectful to the players who have been selected”.
Scotland’s starting XV include 11 changes from the team who took the field against the United States and eight from the side who started against Japan, and is arguably seven players short of Scotland’s firstchoice starting line-up.
Two of the selections have been dictated by injuries, with Duncan Weir coming in for Finn Russell at stand-off, while recently arrived openside flanker, Blair Cowan, goes straight into the starting line-up following John Hardie’s head knock.
However, the choice of several fringe players for such a key match remains controversial.
In the backs, outside centre Richie Vernon gets his first action of the tournament, while wing Tim Visser starts ahead of two players arguably further ahead of him in the pecking order in Sean Lamont and Sean Maitland.
In the frontrow, loosehead prop Gordon Reid and hooker Fraser Brown make their first starts, although Brown impressed as a second-half stand-in openside against the US.
In the backrow, stand-out number eight David Denton is joined by Cowan and former Springbok squad man Josh Strauss on the blindside.
The selection of a weakened side for a key pool match remains highly controversial after the 2007 World Cup when then coach, Frank Hadden, picked a second team to play New Zealand at Murrayfield, effectively knockout game against France at Twickenham.
Although Scotland preserved their best players for their final game against Italy, a match they edged, Hadden’s reputation never recovered.
However, despite the suspicion that Scotland may have one eye on their final game against Samoa, in which a win would guarantee them a quarterfinal place (as would a victory today), the scenario is different to the 2007 debacle.
Rather than straightforward matches against Portugal and Romania, Scotland have already had two tough games in which they have been forced to use their best players.
This squad also have greater strength in depth than eight years ago, so it is often unclear who is the best option in some positions.
Strauss, for instance, can make a powerful case for his inclusion on the blindside instead of Ryan Wilson, while Cowan was Scotland’s starting openside until Hardie’s arrival. “This is our third game in 10 days, so that had a big impact on how we treated the selection of this team,” said Cotter. “We have looked at workloads and potential injuries and there are players we feel are better regenerating.
“Mark [Bennett] has played in both games so is right up there in game time, while Ross Ford had a good shift against the US, so Fraser [Brown] comes in to even up the workloads a little.
“At the same time, we are bringing players in fresh who have been watching their teammates play and are keen for a piece of the action.”
Cotter was always likely to opt for size and power to meet the challenge posed by a rugged Springboks side, who physically overwhelmed Samoa. — The Daily Telegraph