Gilchrist wins battle with Big Jim hands down
THAT was a very decent run- out for Scotland. Ultimately, they l ost but the result in these warm-up matches is not the be-all-and-end-all.
This was the our first game for many months and it showed early on. There were many mistakes in the first 20 minutes; knock- ons, poor set-pieces, conceding penalties at the breakdown — but maybe this was to be expected.
It must be difficult when your first pre- season game is a full international, live on TV and with places in the World Cup squad up for grabs.
You can train all you like and try to make the i ntensity i n training sessions as high as it can be, but it will never replicate playing.
So Scotland were, unsurprisingly, quite rusty in the first quarter. What was very pleasing, however, was they way they eventually found their game and offered Ireland a very stiff challenge.
They would have received some encouragement from the scoreline after the start they had made. To be only seven points down having not really put any phase play together — primarily because they didn’t have the ball — would have given them a boost and they gradually got themselves into the game.
Scotland started to win some ball and that allowed their attacking game to be seen for the first time.
They got on the front foot mainly due to David Denton, who had a big game at No 8. He carried with great i mpact and power and allowed Scotland to slowly build their momentum. He was involved a f ew times i n the build- up to Scotland’s first try scored by Blair Cowan and was a constant thorn in Ireland’s side.
With places up for grabs in the final World Cup squad, how did some of the match-ups work out?
In the second row, Grant Gilchrist just shaded things over Jim Hamilton, who was his usual nuisance self around the park, particularly at the breakdown. But Gilchrist is a class act and put in a big shift in defence, where his work rate is better than Hamilton’s.
It was quite telling, maybe, that Gilchrist took over as captain when Henry Pyrgos was taken off near the end of the game — this is how highly the coaching team rate him.
Hugh Blake did well in his first i nternational and I could see glimpses of why Vern Cotter has backed him so much. The one problem is his lack of bulk in the contact, especially in comparison with Sean O’Brien. No one could move him once he was locked on the ball and he won a l ot of turnovers.
In the backs, the contest between Greig Tonks and Ruaridh Jackson was, probably, j ust shaded by Jackson. When Scotland finally got some front-foot ball, Jackson was very prominent and l ooked dangerous in attack in phase play and counter-attack.
Due to the poor ball Tonks was receiving, he took some time to get into the game but in the second half he looked very effective. He has great distribution skills and grew in confidence as the game progressed.
I believe Tonks and Jackson are competing for one slot in the final squad and both did themselves no harm on Saturday.
The scrum was an area f or concern, not helped by the injury to Ryan Grant.
It was under severe pressure early on and Scotland will be using the next couple of games to find out their best front-row.
Jon Welsh and Mike Cusack had their chance at tight-head with neither making a strong statement. Things could well be opening up for WP Nel there.
Fraser Brown is a great player at hooker, offering brilliant footballing skills and great work defensively at the breakdown. But he lacks the bulk and scrummaging ability of Ross Ford and this is an area that must worry Cotter.
So, a good first hit- up for Scotland. Collectively, things looked pretty good, with some players giving Cotter a headache when it comes to picking his final squad.
Jackson was prominent and looked a threat in attack