THE TRAIN TO Disneyland isn’t exactly a picture of happiness and wonder on a Thursday afternoon in October. Two stops short of the big pink castle, The 42 ditches the weary commuters and hops off in search of our Celtic cousins. After a short trek along motorways and dirt tracks we reach an unassuming, yet luxurious hotel on the edge of town. Here, a short stroll from a McDonalds and a bowling alley, Scotland are planning a major World Cup shock.
Ireland have won their last eight against Scotland, and 12 of the last 13. They are heavy favourites to continue that strong run when the teams meet in a crucial Pool B clash in Paris on Saturday but Scotland are quietly confident of springing an upset. A Scotland win by eight points or more would see Townsend’s side advance at Ireland’s expense. Unthinkable if you’re an Irish rugby fan. Not out of the equation, if you’re looking at it from the Scottish side of things.
“We have got to deliver what we feel we are capable of, which is their best performance as a team when it counts,” was how Scotland head coach, Gregor Townsend, put it.
“They are in great physical shape, they have been training really hard for weeks and months and I believe we have had enough experiences now, both good and bad, to handle this occasion. The ups and downs of a Test match, the physicality, the intensity and the accuracy which will be needed this weekend, so we are really behind this team.”
The Scotland boss has made some interesting calls with his team. For a start, there’s the surprise selection of Ali Price at scrum-half, with Ben White not included in the 23. There’s further intrigue on the bench as Townsend opts for a 6/2 split – a rare move for the Scots.
The decision to pick Price was the first question put to Townsend when he sat down with the media earlier today.
“We feel that Ali has played really well during this period and trained very well.
“He was excellent over in St Etienne (warm-up game with France), he was very good off the bench against South Africa and we saw what he’d been doing in training during that Romanian game.
The accuracy in his pass, the confidence in where he is in terms of taking on defenders, making passes which lead to tries and that is great as he’s been a key player for us over the last six or seven years.
“For him to be back in that excellent form is a real boost. I have to say it was a difficult decision as Ben started for us in the Six Nations, he’s a really good player, very confident, very aggressive and with a great kicking game.”
And the 6/2?
“We feel the game is going to be one which is hugely physical and we know how crucial quick ball is to our success in our attack,” Townsend explained.
To help that we felt another back rower would bring that freshness, energy and aggression that will be required for us to keep producing quick ball and defensively slow down the opposition.
“There was a debate around going to 6/2 in the first place, when we have gone to 6/2 in the past we have had two second-rows. We have Sam Skinner and Scott Cummings can cover the back row so that was something we looked at.
“We just felt that Luke’s (Crosbie) aggression on both sides of the ball, his performance against Romania was outstanding. He didn’t get mentioned that much after the game but the amount of rucks he hit, the tough carries he had to do in an 80 minute performance showed us that he’s ready to make a difference.”
All in, the Scotland boss held court for just over 20 minutes. He explained that former Munster out-half Ben Healy had been in the mix, but the 6/2 effectively ended his hopes. He joked that Finn Russell had “looked quite good” knocking drop goals over in training yesterday. Yet for the most part, he spoke about Ireland, who haven’t played since their statement win over the Springboks a fortnight ago.
“Ireland’s ability to stay in the fight was the thing that stood out the most (from that game). It was a really physical game from both sets of players and it was a great atmosphere.
“We expect the same this weekend. There have been so many Scots at our last few games and there were a lot of Irish in Paris for that game against South Africa so it will be a cracking atmosphere. And there’s jeopardy, there’s something at stake, so it will be one of the best games of the World Cup, I’m sure.
“We don’t often get to play the number one team in the world but we’re playing them this weekend and it’s a game that means whoever the result doesn’t go their way is out of the World Cup, so it’s a brilliant game to be involved in and one of the biggest we’ve been involved in.”
There has been a suggestion that given Ireland’s lofty status as world number one, the pressure is off Scotland this weekend.
“The pressure of sport is always there,” Townsend replied.
“No-one knows who is going to win the game at kick-off. Anything can happen. It is about adapting to situations, about keeping your focus when things are going well to keep it going well and to make sure you are back on track as a team when things aren’t going your way. You can get momentum back, you can change the scoreline very quickly and I know this team can do that. We have done that.
“Regarding the scenario. We definitely want to be the team that goes out there fearless with nothing to lose. That’s the way we’ve been thinking and planning this week.
“The players have performed in massive games before, We were underdogs but we have broken records before, whether it was not winning in Paris, not winning at Twickenham, we hadn’t beaten England for seven or years.
“This is another opportunity to break another record. We believe in them, we believe in where they are mentally as a group and where they are physically. They are ready to play their best rugby.”
Of course Scotland believe. They are staying in the land where dreams come true, after all.
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