Too often we have seen the younger members of the team, the likes of Chris Cusiter, taking the lead role. I have heard it said that the team is desperately inexperienced, but that is incorrect: if the backs are finding their way, the forwards have no such excuse. The front five have 272 caps between them and if they have not learned to handle the heat of test rugby by now, they never will. The spotlight is on the likes of Gordon Bulloch, with more than 70 caps, Stuart Grimes and Scott Murray, who are in the 60s, and Tom Smith, in the 50s. There’s almost another 100 caps in the back row, and that is before Simon Taylor reappears.
This Scotland team badly needs to find its confidence. I know it is often hard to make changes while the side is misfiring, but the harsh reality is that things need to improve and if that means a shake up, then even the senior players must realise they are not immune from being dropped.
The problem is that competition for places is not strong. As the game against Ireland fell apart last week I found myself looking at the bench and wondering if they could do any better. Can Robbie Russell outperform even a below-par Bulloch? If not, who is putting pressure on the Scotland hooker. He was dropped in favour of Scott Lawson for his club a couple of months ago but it is a tougher call to ask his Glasgow rival to step into the breach for Scotland. When will Ross Ford be ready? Allan Jacobsen is injured and so not able to put pressure on Smith, but surely Nathan Hines will come into the second row against Italy to replace either Grimes or Murray, neither of whom has been inspired.
In the backs, how many chances will Dan Parks be given? I would play Chris Paterson at stand-off and shunt Hugo Southwell to full-back, but Matt Williams seems reluctant to play his top players in their optimum positions. Given that Scotland must strive for absolute control, Gordon Ross must be given his chance.
The campaign has been meticulously planned by Williams. In both games so far, against France and Ireland, there have been chinks of light and I believe it is too early to think about replacing him. We swung the axe in 1998 when Richie Dixon and David Johnston were given the boot after a record loss to South Africa was followed by defeat by Italy, but they had not been given enough time before the Scottish Rugby Union panicked and brought back Jim Telfer.
Advertisement
Williams has played a straight bat since he took over. He always said rebuilding the team would be a long process so it is not fair to criticise him for being right. He is a deep thinker about the game, much in the Ian McGeechan mould, and it is also worth pointing out that he struggled for acceptance when he took over at Leinster. Ultimately, his fate will be sealed by results, but they can only be achieved by the men in navy blue.