| SCOTT CONFIDENT AHEAD OF FINAL NATIONS CUP TEST |
| Saturday, 19 June 2010 | ||
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Scotland 'A' assistant coach, Stevie Scott, feels that if his forward pack can perform effectively against the Argentina Jaguars tomorrow afternoon (Sunday 20 June, kick-off 5pm local time/3pm BST), then Scotland could record a vital win in their third and final game of the IRB Nations Cup. Speaking after the squad's final training session of the tour earlier today, the former international hooker said: "I think it's important, as in any game, that we must win the battle up front and we believe we've got the team to do that. "It basically comes down to how well our front-five play. Through the competition our set-piece has been of a good standard but we must maintain that because the Jaguars will challenge us in the scrum area. "If we can get that right and produce good ball for our backs, and play an open game, then I'm confident we can win."
Scott, who won eleven caps in his international career, also gave credit to the players by the way in which they have dealt with the disappointment of losing their first two games as all efforts are channelled into tomorrow's match. He continued: "The players have reacted very positively to the defeat against Namibia on Tuesday. "The players realise that it is important to finish this tournament with a win on Sunday against the Jaguars." Although Scott has been a specialist skills coach with Scottish Rugby for three years, his work with the national team and Scotland's two professional clubs hasn't gone unnoticed. The opportunity to take a more senior role with the 'A' team is a welcome one as he continues to progress his coaching career. "The Nations Cup has been really good for my development," he said. "I worked really closely with Andy Robinson in the Six Nations and Autumn Tests last year and it's great that he's given me the opportunity to coach a forward pack. "To be involved in coaching the Scotland team is certainly something I'm keen to do in the future." Scotland have made three changes to the team that played Namibia with eight further positional switches. Greig Laidlaw is the only personnel change in the backs as he returns at scrum-half. Mark Robertson moves from the left wing to the right. Bryan Rennie moves from inside centre to the left wing. Rennie's place in the midfield is taken by John Houston. David Blair, Ben Cairns and Jack Cuthbert all retain their jerseys from Tuesday night. In the forwards, Kyle Traynor and Fergus Thomson return to the front row to partner Bruce Douglas. Locks James Eddie and Fraser McKenzie swap places in the second row whilst Roddy Grant and captain Ally Hogg also swap jerseys in the back row to switch to blindside flanker and number 8 respectively. Scotland A team (sponsor Murray) to play Argentina Jaguars in the IRB Nations Cup at the Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf on Sunday 20 June (kick-off 5pm local time, 3pm BST) 15 Jack Cuthbert (Bath) 14 Mark Robertson (Edinburgh) 10 David Blair (Edinburgh) 1 Kyle Traynor (Edinburgh) Substitutes * = Member of Scottish Rugby's National Academy Forwards: Bruce Douglas (Montpellier), James Eddie, Calum Forrester (both Glasgow Warriors), Chris Fusaro (Heriot's)*, Roddy Grant, Ally Hogg (both Edinburgh), Ed Kalman (Glasgow Warriors), Andrew Kelly, Fraser McKenzie, Scott Newlands (all Edinburgh), Fergus Thomson (Glasgow Warriors), Kyle Traynor, Steven Turnbull, David Young (all Edinburgh) Backs: Alex Blair, David Blair, Ben Cairns (all Edinburgh), Jack Cuthbert (Bath), Rob Dewey, Peter Horne (both Glasgow Warriors), John Houston, Greig Laidlaw (both Edinburgh), Mark McMillan (Glasgow Warriors), Bryan Rennie (Exeter Chiefs), Mark Robertson (Edinburgh), Colin Shaw (Scotland 7s) * = Member of Scottish Rugby's National Academy Scotland A's fixtures/results at the 2010 IRB Nations Cup - all to be played at the Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf |
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