Mark Bennett, the Scotland centre, believes a thriller is on the cards when his side takes on Australia in their World Cup quarter-final clash at Twickenham on Sunday afternoon.
In general, both sides like to play a quick, off-loading game and Bennett, who has become a mainstay of the Scotland team since making his debut last November, is convinced that their combined approaches provide the ingredients for a high-tempo spectacle for the fans.
“We’re going to go out and attack, and take the game to them,” the 22-year-old Glasgow Warriors centre, said. “The only way we are going to beat them is by going at them. We’re not going to win by sitting off and trying to stay in the game until the latter stages. We want to go at them, though I’ve no doubt they will be saying exactly the same. So I reckon you could be in for a good one.”
In fairness, the Scots also promised entertainment ahead of their final pool B match against Samoa in Newcastle last weekend, but their followers endured a fraught afternoon in which the Samoans put in by far the more ambitious performance before Scotland pulled away near the end to win 36-33.
“The main thing was getting the win,” Bennett said of a result that has since been overshadowed by the controversial three-week bans handed out to Ross Ford and Jonny Gray. “We knew that doing that meant we were through, so even though we were under pressure we still managed to do what we needed to do.”
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The pattern and outcome of the match at St James’ Park was almost a complete reversal of what Scotland went through in this year’s RBS Six Nations Championship, when they suffered five successive defeats in a tournament whitewash. However, Bennett believes the seeds of something better were being sown in those spring setbacks.
“We performed pretty well in the Six Nations, played some good and exciting rugby, but just didn’t get the results,” he said. “It felt in the Six Nations that we were getting somewhere and building something good, and we’re starting to see that again.”
The Scots scored ten tries in their opening two World Cup games, against Japan and the United States, but they will be up against a different defensive beast in the shape of an Australian side that put in an heroic shift even when they were reduced to 13 men. By contrast, Scotland’s defence against Samoa was execrable at times, and Bennett now admits that they were taken by surprise in that game.
“The Samoans came out and really threw the ball about,” he said. “They were just playing in a way we maybe weren’t quite expecting. They were a lot more loose than we expected and they really took the game to us.
“That was the best rugby they have played by far and they put us under a lot of pressure. We didn’t help ourselves with some of our decisions and some of the ways we set up, but we know where we went wrong and also know that we’re a better side than that. There are no worries.”
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The Australians have adopted what is now an almost old-fashioned approach in fielding the relatively slight 5ft 10in Matt Giteau at inside centre alongside the more robust 6ft 4in Tevita Kuridrani at outside centre. Bennett is an admirer of both players.
“They play some exciting, expansive rugby,” he said. “You’ve got Giteau at 12 and he is an outstanding player. I played against him for Glasgow against Toulon and he was excellent that day. I’m looking forward to that battle.
“They also have a big man at 13 who will always try to get the over the gain line. It’s a challenge for us, but I’m always up against someone who’s bigger than me so I’m used to it now.”
The bookmakers installed Scotland as rank outsiders as soon as the draw was known, and their odds drifted further when Gray and Ford picked up their bans. However, there is a powerful sense of indignation about those punishments in the Scotland camp and Bennett believes the Scottish players will be emboldened by the backs-to-the-wall mood in their camp. “It tends to be the way it goes,” he said. “We always seem to be up against it and everyone does write us off. But I think the Scottish culture thrives on that.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s a huge opportunity for us. We’ve got nothing to lose because no one is expecting us to do well, bar the squad itself. So, yeah, let’s get into them.”