The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Frustrating Fiji is name of game at Murrayfield
Scots must not let visitors hang on to ball, says Laidlaw
An open running game is now “in the genetics” of the Scotland team, Greig Laidlaw believes, but we’re likely to see a sanitised version of the all-singing, all-dancing Scotland as they return to BT Murrayfield after a seven-month gap.
Fiji, today’s guests in the second Autumn Test, revel in an open game.
They score nearly twothirds of their points from turnover ball when the average in world rugby is less than a third.
They are not a team you want to be too free and unstructured against.
It may be that this is a time for Scotland’s Plan B and the acknowledged leader of that – even when he hasn’t been captain – is Laidlaw.
It has been 18 tests since Laidlaw was skipper but every time he is included he is a fulcrum for the team’s style of play.
Sometimes he’s a facilitator, but on occasion – such the games against France and Italy in this year’s Six Nations – he’s the fullyfledged on-field director.
Both times the mercurial Finn Russell was removed early and Laidlaw switched from scrum-half to standoff and piloted the team to comeback victories playing a much more restricted, forward-based style.
This is exactly what will be required against Fiji, because the way to frustrate them is to keep them from the ball.
“Keep the ball, that is one thing to do,” said Laidlaw. “They love running about and showing their skill sets but keeping the ball is one way.
“Make them tackle, then tackle again. We have to just carry, clean, carry, clean.
“Make them do a lot of work. That is one of the areas we have worked on strongly this week.
“When we do attack we hold on to the ball. When we kick, we kick smartly and make sure we have a connected chase. In broken fields they are the best team in the world so we have to limit their opportunities.
“If we hold the ball we can test their discipline, keep going at them and try to frustrate them.
“Our forwards have a big job. If we can get a handle on the upfront game first and foremost that will give us an avenue into the game.”
Does it also mean reining in Russell’s attacking instincts? Quite apart from those two games in the spring, Finn was not as his best in the game exactly a year ago against the very similar Samoa, when Laidlaw was injured.
“You don’t want to rein him in too much,” said Laidlaw.
“Sometimes, maybe. I’ll just give him a little look and I think he understands.
“In international rugby you’ve got to know, ‘when do we play, when do we not play?’ I think Finn’s got a better understanding of that now. Moving away to France and the Top 14 will help him understand that.
“We’re not going to be able to run at Fiji for 80 minutes, that’s danger-