All change but Blair keen new players grab their chance
MIKE BLAIR has hardly enjoyed the smoothest of starts to his summer stint as Scotland’s interim head coach, but he is happy with the squad he has been able to select for today’s “A” international against England at Welford Road.
Blair, who is taking charge for this game and next month’s full internationals against Romania and Georgia while Gregor Townsend is on Lions duty, lost nine squad members on Thursday because of Covid protocols. One tested positive and another eight were identified as close contacts and told to self-isolate, leading Blair to draft in five new players to his squad.
That means the team for the game in Leicester have had little time together in training, but the coach is confident nonetheless that his players can rise to the occasion against a strong England side and stake their claims for places in the two July Tests.
“I’m really pleased with the squad we’ve been able to put together,” Blair said yesterday after belatedly announcing his matchday 23. “You would think that with the players missing we would start to struggle, but I’m really pleased with the team we’re able to put out.
“All we can do is do the best we can, and through other people’s misfortunes other people have the opportunity to shine and show what they can do. We’ve not had a huge amount of time together as a squad, but we have a lot of talent in the squad. We want them to put their hands up and show they can make the step up to international rugby.”
Leicester centre Matt Scott, who has 39 caps, takes over as captain from the absent Jamie Ritchie. But there are also a lot of players who are untried at this level, and Blair knows this match will be a test of character for them against formidable opponents.
“We’ve got a good record against England recently, and in our last couple of England A games as well,” he continued. “We want to see how our guys play, how they react to different situations they’re put in.
“So if guys play really well in this game against such a top-quality team as England A, then that’s going to raise their stock even more. So I’m delighted to be playing against a strong team and seeing how we react to that.”
England coach Eddie Jones is not taking the match lightly either and has warned his players to prepare for a full-on Test match.
Assistant coach John Mitchell has stepped up to be head coach of the A side, but will take a “collaborative” approach with England boss Jones.
England will move straight from today’s clash into full Test weeks for matches against the USA and Canada, and Jones is determined the A fixture will not result in a drop in standards or expectations.
Charlie Ewels is the second most experienced starter with 21 senior caps, and the Bath lock revealed Jones has left no one under any misapprehensions about the demands this weekend.
“Day one, meeting one, minute one, Eddie said ‘you can call it what you like, but this is a Test match and we’re preparing for a Test match’,” said Ewels. “So it won’t be capped and not everybody is available for selection. But beyond that it’s felt like any other Test week I’ve been involved in.”
The British and Irish Lions’
South Africa tour is affording England, like Scotland, the chance to dig down into the depth chart with one eye on the World Cup in 2023. While senior pros like Ewels and 28cap vice captain Ellis Genge will be looking to prove points and push back up the pecking order, England will also field 11 uncapped players in the east Midlands.
Ewels insisted only the coaches will be looking at today’s game through the prism of the 2023 World Cup though, however big the opportunity to impress.
“The coaches will have long-term plans of course, but as a player, the way the environment we’re in and the way we train, you never look beyond that day’s training,” said Ewels. “So I can pretty safely say no player will be sat here this week thinking about 2023, they will just be over the moon to have the opportunity to play.
“They will be asking Eddie ‘what do you want to see from me, how do you want me to train and what do I need to do to get into the team?’
“It’s hugely exciting there are plenty of guys here with new ideas, fresh energy, and there are also guys who have been here before.”