AFTER 103 appearances for Scotland, there is little or nothing that Ross Ford is either unprepared for or alarmed by. Certainly, the probability that the French pack will be bigger and heavier than Scotland’s on Sunday does not concern the Edinburgh hooker. He has dealt with such disparities before.
In fact, so have the bulk of the Scotland squad - all those who play for Glasgow Warriors, that is. After losing to Gregor Townsend’s team at home in the Champions Cup in December, Racing turned up at Scotstoun with what the Warriors’ head coach reckoned was one of the biggest packs ever assembled. It made no difference to the result, as Glasgow won again.
“We just have to be technically better,” Ford said yesterday when asked how to deal with larger opponents. “They may be bigger, but physically we’ll be able to match them. We have to.
“There’s no way round it. We have to front up and do a job. We have to be bloody-minded and be smart along with it.”
Whether he begins the match in the Stade de France or starts on the bench as he did in the win against Ireland, Ford has an important role to play as the senior member of the front row. With the two props, Allan Dell and Zander Fagerson, both having minimal international experience compared to him, the hooker has to play a part in guiding them through the game. But, rather than take credit for having a leadership role within the squad, Ford insisted that the team as a whole deal with any problems that may arise on the pitch.
“It’s about making small fixes - figuring out what’s wrong. Small tweaks make a lot of difference, everybody working together. You don’t get carried away thinking you can sort it on your own: you have to fix it as a unit.
“It’s the front row, front five, then the whole pack. It’s how we work together. It’s keeping the confidence up and making small changes.
“If we prepare well then we’ll give ourselves a great chance [against France]. We want to go across there and have the ball in play as much as we did on Saturday and that will mean getting things right and being as clinical as we were against the Irish.
“Everyone’s always buoyant after a win like that, especially when it’s as close as it was with all the big moments in the closing stages of the game and being able to turn things around to get that win. That has been crucial. We are all buoyant and looking forward to France.”
Fraser Brown, who began in the No 2 jersey against Ireland before a head knock forced him off, has been passed fit to play so may keep Ford out again. Finn Russell was the other Scot who needed a head injury assessed, but he too has been cleared to play. Saracens centre Duncan Taylor and Edinburgh flanker John Hardie, who were not involved against Ireland but are in the wider 36-man squad, are also available for selection.
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