Two teams prepare to clash in Edinburgh this Sunday after
both suffered an early defeat in round one of the competition, albeit under
different circumstances. Scotland at least can take heart in the fact, that had
fate favoured them in Paris and their penalty count in their own half been
reduced, they could well have won the game. Wales on the other hand, blew an 8
point first half lead only to get utterly blown away by a resurgent England in
Cardiff and will be looking for redemption when they take to the newly laid nemotoad-free
Murrayfield turf.
Scotland for all their progress under Vern Cotter will
finally want to shake off the tag of plucky losers, a tag they've so dutifully
held onto for an age it seems. The winds of change seem to be blowing however,
as the superb displays of Glasgow in the pro 12, as well as a canny return to
form of Edinburgh of late, would seem to mark this down as more than simply
another false dawn. A switch to flowing attacking rugby is something many
thought we'd never see the like again in a Scottish shirt and it's certainly a
refreshing sight to witness for both Scottish fans and neutrals alike. Perhaps
in part due to the Glasgow warrior spine of the team, who have long played this
brand of rugby at club level and it can only benefit the likes of Hogg, Dunbar
and new boy Finn Russell to able to employ a game plan they’re familiar
with.
North dropped
Wales will have the bit between their teeth this weekend
after likely being beasted all week in training following what can only be
described as a rudderless second half display against England. Most of the pre
match chatter has unsurprisingly been all about concussion protocols and as
expected George North is the sacrificial lamb dropped from the team despite
getting the all clear from the medics. His replacement is Liam Williams, who in
all honesty on form was unlucky to miss out on the starting line up last week.
Like North, equally adept at causing opposition defences problems, regardless
of his contrasting style to the Saints man. Armed much more with the rapier
than the club, he could well be a valuable creative asset for Wales, which they
certainly lacked last weekend when England deprived their power runners of
ball.
Perhaps the most interesting individual battle to unfold
this Sunday will be between the number 10's. Both Finn Russell and Dan Biggar
are in flying form for their respective Pro 12 outfits and whoever manages to
control the game best could win it for their sides. Keeping these two dangerous
backlines running backwards into their own halves and deprived of decent
counter attacking ball should clinch it. The likes of Stuart Hogg and Liam
Williams can cut defences to ribbons if given an inch of space to manoeuvre and
so kicks need to be precise to avoid incurring some series damage in
return.
Is Russell the man to rejuvenate Scotland
Prediction: Last year's fixture saw the Welsh run
rampant after Stuart Hogg saw red and was sent into the changing rooms early.
Scotland will not have forgotten that! Expect a toughly fought contest this
time around as both will want to rectify poor starts in the championship and
seal a first win in round two. Scotland
to sneak it at home by 2.
The teams:
Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Jon Welsh, 19 Jim Hamilton, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Greig Tonks, 23 Matt Scott
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Paul James, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.
Date: Sunday, February 15
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Referees: George Clancy, Dudley Phillips
TMO: Simon McDowell
By Alex Dodd
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