World Cup Preview: Scotland
POOL A SPOTLIGHT: Scotland coach Gregor Townsend believes he has his strongest squad in his two-year tenure but if they are to shine at the World Cup then Finn Russell will have to be at his sparkling best.
The dynamic flyhalf, who turns 27 this month, is the key man as Scotland seek to progress past the quarter-final stage for the first time since 1991, when they lost to England in the semi-finals.
That match, a 6-9 defeat, is remembered for Gavin Hastings’ missed close-range penalty, which still haunts the former fullback.
Russell, who was within seconds of playing in a semi-final in 2015 but for a controversial penalty awarded to Australia, is the heartbeat of the team – if he plays well then Scotland generally click.
His no-look passes and dummies spark an exciting backline and he has no intention of changing his style, even if it carries a high risk.
“I need some consistency but I’m still going to keep playing the way I’m going to play,” said Russell, who plays his club rugby in France, where scrumhalf and former captain Greig Laidlaw also plies his trade.
“At the World Cup, with four group games, you need to be at the top of your game to get out of the group. I don’t want to look back and think if only I did this or that differently,”
Hooker Stuart McInally may wear the captain’s armband but Russell is also a leader, as he demonstrated when he pleaded successfully with Townsend for a change of tactics at half- time with the Scots trailing 31-7 to England in this year’s Six Nations clash.
So dramatic was the turnaround that they led 38-31 until a late converted try secured a draw for a shell-shocked English side.
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Match for any team
Russell is in the mould of Townsend in his playing prime, a dashing back with an eye for a break where others would hold back.
But the Racing 92 player says it will take a team effort for Scotland to go deep into the tournament.
“I don’t believe it’s one individual that’s going to get us to the quarters or semis or final, wherever we get to,” he said.
“I think it’s going to have to be everyone on the same page”
Russell should be reassured by Townsend’s belief that the squad is full of talent, although their inconsistency alarms many outside the camp.
There is little doubting the ability of the backs – the combative and dangerous Stuart Hogg at fullback would probably get into the starting XVs of most of the top-ranked sides.
However, to thrive the backs need the ball and there are doubts over the scrum and how much they will feed back to Laidlaw, Russell and others.
The loss of Exeter second-row forward Sam Skinner to injury is a big blow in terms of the line-out and mobility but one that Townsend hopes will be made up for by New Zealand-born flank Blade Thomson, who is fit for duty following several issues with concussion.
Townsend’s side face an immediate test of their credentials against Ireland, their main rivals to top Pool A. Their group also includes Japan, Russia and Samoa.
Provided they get through a potentially awkward encounter against the hosts, either world champions New Zealand or South Africa will almost certainly be their quarter-final opponents.
Townsend is happy with the mix of players at his disposal.
“Success would be playing to our best,” he said. “Playing to our potential has been our aim from the start.
“We know and we’ve seen it as when we play to our best we are a match for any team in the world,”
“We have a stronger squad now than we’ve ever had,” he added.
“We’ve never been in a better position over the last few years to play at our best,”
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Aim for the tournament:
“We’re just going to take every game that comes and try to win them all. If we can get out of the group, it’s knockout rugby after that,” captain Stuart McInally
Player to watch:
Finn Russell. One of the stand-out flyhalves in world rugby, the 26 year-old Racing 92 man is Scotland’s key to reaching the latter stages.
Fact-check
Population: 5.43 million (2018, National Records of Scotland)
Capital: Edinburgh
Coach: Gregor Townsend (since May 2017)
Number of registered players: 49,265 (World Rugby, 2016)
World Rugby ranking: 7 (Sep 2, 2019)
World Cup past record:
1987 – Quarter-final
1991 – Fourth
1995 – Quarter-final
1999 – Quarter-final
2003 – Quarter-final
2007 – Quarter-final
2011 – Pool
2015 – Quarter-final
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Pool matches (all times GMT):
Ireland v Scotland
Date: September 22
Venue: Yokohama
Kick-off: 07.45 GMT
Scotland v Samoa
Date: September 30
Venue: Kobe City
Kick-off: 10.15 GMT
Scotland v Russia
Date: October 9
Venue: Shizuoka
Kick-off: 07.15 GMT
Japan v Scotland
Date: October 13
Venue: International Stadium Yokohama
Kick-off: 10.45 GMT
Squad:
FORWARDS: John Barclay (Edinburgh), Simon Berghan (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Allan Dell (London Irish), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh, captain), Willem Nel (Edinburgh), Gordon Reid (Ayrshire Bulls), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Blade Thomson (Scarlets), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh), George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors).
BACKS: Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Gloucester), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Greig Laidlaw (Clermont Auvergne), Sean Maitland (Saracens), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Finn Russell (Racing 92), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens).
