by Brendan Cole
England’s seemingly endless melodrama took another twist this week with Danny Cipriani’s removal from the starting full-back to out of the squad by coach Brian Ashton.
Watch Scotland v England live on RTÉ Two and www.rte.ie/live (Ireland only) on Saturday, 8 March. Commentary is live on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
The consensus seems to be that while Cipriani should not have been photographed in the vicinity of a nightclub at 12.30am in an international week, Ashton’s reaction was over the top. Big names in the English rugby media have come out strongly against the coach’s demotion of their golden boy, and rather than gain him respect, the incident has diminished Ashton’s already damaged credibility even further. He looks out of touch rather than tough, and it’s not hard to imagine senior players rolling eyes at this latest misjudgement by the coach.
So: bad news for England, but will it matter? Unfortunately, barring a minor miracle, it is not likely to make much of a difference; unlike Ireland and Wales, the Scots simply don’t have the athletic talent in their team to make an opportunity out of England’s difficulties these days.
There are small chinks of hope. Scotland are due a performance while England have probably had theirs; peaking against a French side perfectly suited to what is left of their strengths on Weekend Three.
Can England be as aggressive, motivated and fired up against Scotland? The coaching problems say 'no', but England are more than the man at the top. This one really depends on how much pain they are prepared to take, and how much effort they are prepared to put in, over the 80 minutes. They have the personalities to do enough. However, if they drop too far below par, Scotland are in the game. For Scotland's part, attitude is also central. They must find a way to get their psychological pitch above the rather empty huff and puff they have shown to date; an elemental performance is required. It's a huge test for Frank Hadden, and one he may struggle with based on what we have seen to date.
Click here for Brendan Cole's preview of Ireland v Wales.
But there are one or two other reasons to be hopeful. Simon Taylor’s return – he will be as good a back row as there is on the pitch – is one, while blindside Ally Strokosch made a big impression against Ireland last week, and is another. In the backs, the main hope of a spark will once again be Mike Blair at scrum-half, although Rory Lamont’s return to the wing at least gives a physical presence and penetration. The front row also won’t be afraid of England, with Allan Jacobsen set to continue his personally excellent tournament. The second row is, however, underpowered and a definite weakness.
For England, it is in the tactical kicking, game management, stability and running power that they are clearly way ahead. It is hard to see Scotland shaking an English ruck or maul to pieces; the opposite is assuredly not the case. Jonny Wilkinson at out-half will ensure that a significant amount of whatever momentum England generate is duly converted into yards or points, while Paul Sackey, Iain Balshaw and Lesley Vainikolo, the latter two of whom should continue to get away with it defensively until next week, are attacking threats Scotland cannot match. In the centres, Toby Flood has grown into an important player and adds a touch of class, while Jamie Noon's smash tackling could put an end to whatever wide hopes Scotland have early.
All in all, everything points to a stirring Scottish performance – this is a better team selection than they have had for a while – but ultimately a decent England victory.
Scotland v England; 3.15pm, Saturday, 8 March, Murrayfield
Scotland: Southwell; R Lamont, Webster, Morrison, Walker; Paterson, M Blair, (capt): Jacobsen, Ford, Murray, Hines, MacLeod, Strokosch, Taylor, Hogg.
Bench: Thomson, Dickinson, Smith, White, Brown, Lawson, Parks.
England: Balshaw; Sackey, Noon, Flood, Vainikolo; Wilkinson, Wigglesworth; Easter, Lipman, Croft; Borthwick, Shaw; Vickery (capt), Mears, Sheridan.
Bench: Chuter, Stevens, Kay, Narraway, Hodgson, Tait, Hodgson.
