We must get our attack together
Ben says Scots have two key aims v England – score while on top and get star players like Duhan in game
SCOTLAND scrum-half Ben White reckons there are two key things the team need to improve on before they meet England in their next Six Nations match a week on Saturday.
One is taking their chances and turning pressure into points – something they did well against Wales first up but did not manage nearly so well in the 20-16 defeat by France at the weekend.
And the other is getting their star players into the game more. For example, Duhan van der Merwe, who was on devastating form and grabbed two tries in the 27-26 win in Cardiff, was more prominent in defence than attack against the French.
White said: “When we’re on top, we need to be accurate.
“Against Wales when we were on top we took our chances really well – the few that we had.
“Against France I thought our patience was really good in the finish zone and we put them under good pressure – but it was just a couple of passes [that let us down].
“Whether we can play them a little bit earlier, or just how we convert that pressure into points, is something I think we can do better.
“One thing we have done, partly due to the conditions, is kick a little bit more and try to get good ball back.
“When we’re in these kick battles, it’s how we can come alive as a team – how we can bring some of our individuals into it.
“The more we can get some of our athletes on the ball, the better we play.”
After losing his starting place to Ali Price at last year’s World Cup, 25-year-old White has re-established himself as the team’s first-choice scrumhalf for the Six Nations.
And he thinks he has new club
Toulon to thank for his improved form after moving to France from England late last year. He said: “It’s been a big change, but I’m enjoying my rugby and I think I can definitely grow as a player there. “It’s taken me a bit of time to get used to it. Being a half-back that doesn’t speak much French, it tests you, which is great. “I try to get out and about and speak to people. Some people probably think I’m talking utter rubbish when I’m trying to order something! But it’s part of the fun. “I’m trying to learn a new language and also a new way of playing at times – and I think that’s helped me with Scotland. I feel like my kicking and some of my core skills have got better. “I’m enjoying the challenge of it all, and it’s gone all right so far, I think. But there’s always room for improvement.”
Meanwhile, replacement hooker Ewan Ashman agrees with White that there are things that Scotland will have to improve on in their remaining three games. But he is confident they have a lot of positive things to build on, and is sure they can still be contenders for the title.
He said: “We ended the France game very strongly. We can definitely learn lessons from it and also pick out the good things then carry that forward into England. It should be a really good game.
“We need to learn what we can do better. We shouldn’t have let them back into the game like we did, which is the frustrating thing. But we’re still very much in the competition.
“We need to win the remaining games – I don’t think we need to look much further than that. The next game, we need to win. The game following, we have to win. Just take it game by game and do what we can.”