ANYBODY who has been there will say that when it comes to World Cups, experience is vital. It is also an area where Scotland are struggling, and that puts extra responsibility on the hardy handful in the squad who have been there before and tasted the pressure of global competition.
For Ruaridh Jackson, the starting fly-half in three of Scotland’s four matches in the 2011 campaign, there is also the matter of aiming to wash away the miserable memories of that tournament, while he is thankful just to get the chance to play for a place after missing almost the entirety of last season having his left knee rebuilt.
“Maybe the few guys who were in that disappointing World Cup last time can shine a light on the experience and talk the others through it,” he mused. “I don’t think it is too bad a thing having these guys who don’t really know what to expect, they hold no fear, can go at it without any reservations and give it a crack.
“The biggest thing we can take through is how much better every team gets when it is going into a World Cup. Everyone has that extra few months’ preparation. Every team has their strongest side, the [Pacific] Island nations will have their best ever squads. We got real scares from Romania and Georgia last time. It shows you really can’t take anyone lightly.
“Though we were slightly unlucky in the Argentina game last time, we did not give ourselves the best opportunity to be hitting our straps because we did not play too well in the first two games. I think if we can make sure everyone is on it from day one – we know we can’t underestimate anyone – we have a great chance with this squad.”
It shows the churn in Scottish rugby that Jackson is one of only 10 who have played in previous World Cups to make the bigger training squad for this one. At 27, he should be hitting his peak as a fly-half, but knows he has a lot to prove if he is to make the final cut, not just because he is bound to be rusty after the better part of a year out of rugby but because the competition intensified while he was away.
Early in Jackson’s career, the choice was him or Dan Parks; later he was competing only with Duncan Weir. Now, Weir is still there, Finn Russell is the man in possession and Peter Horne and Greig Tonks have both proved themselves sound operators in the 10 jersey. The fly-half competition has gone from famine to feast in what feels like no time.
All that while Jackson could only watch after wrecking his knee in his home debut for Wasps, the club he joined from Glasgow Warriors a year ago. “I was defending, the guy went to step inside, I went to step off my left leg to tackle him and it just gave way. I felt a popping sensation. I knew at that point it was something I had never felt before and feared the worst – which it was,” he recalls.
The good news: he was ready to play in the final game of the season, though in the end he wasn’t risked. It does mean he could take a full part in Scotland’s preparations, delighted that despite his long absence he was still rated highly enough to make it.
“It shows that hopefully what I have done in the past holds some sway. Now is it a case of showing that I do deserve to be here,” Jackson said. “If I get a chance in one of the warm-up games I have got to take it, though I also have to be realistic – there will be a little bit of rust.”
He might be helped by the numbers game. Probably only four of those World Cup veterans can be sure of their places. Jackson is in the remaining half dozen. His experience, however, is irreplaceable.
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