The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
No qualms for Johnson as he calls up Dougie Fife
EDINBURGH’S prolific wing Dougie Fife will make his Scotland debut tomor row as Tommy Seymour became Scotland’s fourth injury casualty this season on the wing.
Fife, 23, has established himself as first-choice wing for Edinburgh this season and scored five tries in as many games over the period just prior to the RBS 6 Nations.
He joins fellow former Currie RFC product Matt Scott in the Scotland back division, replacing Seymour, who has not recovered from an ankle injury sustained against France last Saturday.
Already this season, interim head coach Scott Johnson has had to do without long-term injury victim Tim Visser and has lost Sean Maitland and Sean Lamont to injuries during the championship.
Scotland’s other injury headaches have cleared, with Max Evans able to make his first start since the match against Tonga at Pittodrie in 2012 after recovering from a back problem. It will be the 30-year-old’s 42nd cap.
There are no other changes to the backline.
On the bench, Edinburgh’s Jack Cuthbert is the preferred choice for his ability to cover both full-back and wing. The 26-year-old’s sole previous appearance for Scotland came in the World Cup warm-up against Ireland back in August 2011.
Johnson said they had no doubts about Fife’s ability to step into the breach.
“We like Dougie’s size and his competitive edge,” said Johnson. “He chases everything, which I like, and he has shown really good glimpses playing for Edinburgh this season.
“He’s been ear-marked by us for a while — we’ve been following him for the last 12 months — and he’s got his reward now.”
FACING THE Lions’ midf ield combination tomorrow in the cauldron of the Millennium Stadium is small stuff compared to having Scott Johnson chasing him at every turn, believes Matt Scott.
The young Scotland centre’s growing partnership with Alex Dunbar has been one of the few pluses of an international season that draws to a close with Scotland’s trip to meet outgoing champions Wales in Cardiff, although Johnson was not able to bring them together until the last four games.
The coach’s talk of growth in his side can’t be disputed when referring to his centre pairing, but while Johnson has been effusive with his praise of the pair he’s not spared the rod behind the scenes.
“It is obviously nice to hear that and if the coach likes you, you are going to get picked,” said Scott.
“It doesn’t make things all chilled though. He is very hard on us in terms of he just won’t let up and let us stay at this level.
“If he thinks you have potential to go a long way he will really hammer you and will never be off your back.
“He is like that, he is constantly on my back about everything. I might have had a great game in attack but missed a couple of clean-outs and he will hammer me on that.”
Scott doesn’t want it any other way, however.
“He says to me, ‘I will keep on top of you, I will be relentless’, and I am more than happy with that,” he said.
“If I start to rest on my laurels and think I did OK — say I had a couple of line breaks but my defence work was not all that great — then I won’t develop as a player.
“I need that all-round game to be a world-class centre or part of a world-class centre pairing.”
He and Dunbar both resemble in build and pace Alan Tait, Scotland’s best centre of modern times, and they’re gradually forming their playing relationship.
“We are still in our infancy in terms of our partnership,” added Scott.
“Alex is slightly newer onto the scene than I am, but we are both learning all the time and there is a while to go yet before we are an established international centre pairing.
“Every week there is something that we need to work on and we are starting to get a better understanding of each other, which is important.
“It is great that Scott is allowing our partnership to grow and over the last few games it has helped me a lot.
“We don’t play together week in, week out to get a quicker understanding of what each wants to do, but it’s coming, he will have a better idea of what I do so he can run better lines off me, things like that. That just comes through play.”
The third member of the midfield trio is fly-half DuncanWeir, and Scott believes he will put his mistake against France behind him quickly.
“I know what it is like when I make a mistake, I don’t want everyone coming up to me afterwards,” he said. “I just kept reminding Duncy ‘next job, next job, it is not the end of the world’.
“He is a very resilient character and I have been impressed with the way he has handled it. You couldn’t have written a better hero-to-zero story than that, but that is the way rugby is.
“Dunc is a very confident person by nature, in a good way, and is focusing on Wales now, as are the rest of us.”
Taking on the Lions centre pairing of Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies, while also experiencing the Millennium Stadium atmosphere for the first time, is something Scott is really looking forward to.
“It’s a new challenge for me and I’ve heard nothing but positive things about the stadium and the atmosphere. This is probably the biggest test for Alex and I at the moment.
“We have had a few games together and have come to know each other to the point where we’ve learned enough.
“Roberts and Davies are completely different players, Roberts is very direct, very physical, Davies has got a good outside break and fend as well as a good kicking game with his left foot.
“It will be a tough challenge, but we won’t back down, it is always good to get that chance to prove yourself against the best.”
Scott is also thrilled his Edinburgh team-mate Dougie Fife is winning his first cap at the Millennium.
“I played with Dougie at Currie and we have come up through the age groups together,” he said.
“He has always had that talent, a solid all-round winger with that ability to beat people.
“I’d love to see him on a hard pitch and with the roof closed on the Millennium Stadium, that is his type of game. Wales have very physical wingers and he is tall and physical so he will be a good match for whoever he comes up against.
“He is ready for international rugby, he has had a couple of seasons at Edinburgh and has been playing regularly.
“The time is right for him to make the transition.”