Rugby Union: Scots blessed with quick wit

LITTLE things mean a lot. At Murrayfield last Saturday the wind, gusting as it was, was not as strong as it had been during the match against Ireland the previous month. Nor was it from the same direction, hence the extensive survey carried out by Ian McGeechan and his senior players before the kick-off. Underneath the majestic new stands the Scots were as uncertain of the aerodynamics as their opponents. But they discovered that the nearer they stood to the east touchline the closer they were to a wind-resistant tunnel. Down there was the eye of the storm.

There and then the Scots resolved that, should they win the toss, they would play with the wind and that when it came to their turn to face it, they would attempt to do as much of their kicking as possible down that channel under the lee of the East Stand. As it turned out, they were given the first use of the wind by Wales and had, by half-time, all but won the match.

The last straw was blown from Wales' grasp when Gary Armstrong, fielding the Welsh kick-off at the start of the second half, sent the ball spiralling 70 yards down the touchline. The Welsh, who had failed to move the ball even half that distance throughout the first 40 minutes, gasped in disbelief. The game was won and lost.

It is McGeechan's attention to detail which distinguishes him from so many of his rivals. As they had done in the World Cup against the Western Samoans, when John Jeffrey was stationed at the front of the line-out, the Scots again employed a flanker, in this case Derek Turnbull, as a front jumper. And how well he responded to the challenge. Not only did Turnbull consistently get in front of Gareth Llewellyn, who had similarly inconvenienced England in Cardiff, but he was a constant irritant to Nigel Meek, whose throwing in went from bad to worse. In short, the Scots did to Wales what Wales had done to England.

Psychology occupies another chapter in McGeechan's coaching manual. With such limited resources, the Scots must somehow squeeze every ounce out of their players. Damian Cronin's performance levels have not been consistently high enough to satisfy McGeechan. The coach's response this season has been to entrust Cronin with the leadership of the pack. Cronin has flourished, although some referees may not react with quite the same tolerance as Joel Dume to the persistent questioning of penalty decisions. Iain Morrison, who calls the line-out, is looking more like an international class flanker with every game and Kenny Milne, given the task of organising the scrummage, surely never played better in a Scottish jersey than he did last Saturday.

The Scottish forwards' deliveryto their backs was faster than any side has managed in the championship. Their control of the ball and their retention of it were of astonishingly high quality although McGeechan will recognise that possession, so easily won against Wales, will be much harder to secure at Twickenham this Saturday. Nevertheless, he believes that last week's victory was the most satisfying of his coaching career.

David Sole is convinced that Scotland have won more line-out ball in the last three games than they did throughout his career. But England, surely, will not allow themselves to be so convincingly out-manoeuvered as they were for long periods against Wales. Assuming that Martin Bayfield continues as front jumper, a job for which he is not best suited either physically or by inclination, then presumably England will make more imaginitative use of Ben Clarke, as Bath do week in, week out.

The centre of attention at Twickenham, however, will be another Bath player, Stuart Barnes. He carries a mighty burden with him on to the field. Not only must he attempt to release the thrilling potential of his threequarter line, but he will be expected to go solo into a well-organised and, on the day, tirelessly committed defence. But if his forwards cannot provide him with quicker ball than they managed for Rob Andrew then Barnes will be doing more kicking than running.

Double vision will be a problem for McGeechan, Geoff Cooke and Dick Best, the management triumvirate with the Lions in New Zealand this summer - patriotic duty on the one hand and Lions' selection on the other. No matter what happens in the game between Wales and Ireland in Cardiff on the same day, the bulk of the Lions' party will come from England and Scotland. The most serious question to be answered is how many Englishmen, considered certainties at the start of the season, have enough left in their tanks for the most arduous and demanding of all tours? The answers have to be found on these shores, not in the cloying mud of Wairarapa-Bush or 20 minutes into a Test match. Wade Dooley and Peter Winterbottom are two who must dispel doubts about their ability to last the pace, although Winterbottom, despite his uneven form against France and Wales, is surely not yet in terminal decline as a Test flanker.

In the almost certain event of Dean Richards being selected as one of the No 8s there will be a strong case for taking a flier on the flank like Neil Back. The New Zealanders have never shared the obsession in this country for fielding three big men in their back row. They have always gone for a balance of speed, ball skills and aggression. Their physical presence and height is usually supplied by the blind-side flanker. Therefore, it may be, given McGeechan's well-documented admiration for Richards and the need for genuine pace, that Doddie Weir, who should in any case go on the tour as a utility forward, comes into the reckoning as the Lions' No 6.

Then there is the question of captaincy. The remorseless grind of the rugby in New Zealand, the minute dissection of team and individuals by a relentless media and the unflagging interest of the public, have broken many a heart and reputation. Some have never fully recovered and only once in the post-war years, in 1971, have the Lions got their management team right. Cooke's proven skills as an organiser and communicator should blend comfortably with McGeechan's unquestionable abilities as a coach. The appointment of captain, though his tactical influence will be limited, is therefore of equal importance. Gavin Hastings has, in a short time, done a remarkable job in building the morale within the Scottish camp and as one of the few who can be considered a certainty for a place in the Test side (Will Carling is another) he is now as clear a favourite for the job as Carling was two months ago.

Ieuan Evans is another contender, and without a Welsh presence in the management hierarchy his would be politically attractive. Like Hastings he has displayed commendable maturity in his dealings with his players, but the Murrayfield experience will not have helped his case.

Despite that, the season is far from over for Wales. They have the chance to salvage something from last Saturday's wreckage against Ireland in Cardiff. They have resisted making changes to the pack which was bled white by the Scots, and having watched one fly-half, Colin Stephens, sink without trace already this season, they have been understandably reluctant to scuttle another. Nevertheless, the replacement of Wayne Procter with Nigel Walker is a bit like changing the wing-mirrors on a car with no steering wheel.

The Irish selectors would have been deemed certifiable had they announced an unchanged side after the defeat by France, but the restriction to only one change in personnel behind the scrum is, in the view of many, sufficiently outrageous to warrant an investigation. For Ireland, therefore, respectable defeat in Cardiff may be a more realistic target than victory.

(Photograph omitted)