SCOTLAND will not necessarily contain the strongest available players when the side to face Australia is announced later today.
According to Jonathan Humphreys, the forwards coach, the selection will reward form but not at the expense of sticking to the pre-planned experiments the coaches believe are essential to broadening the playing pool.
The main beneficiaries would appear to be Mark Bennett, the 20-year-old Glasgow centre who signed a three-year contract extension with the Warriors this week. He is expected to make his debut at some point, as should Pat MacArthur, the hooker who missed last week's defeat by South Africa. It also looks as though Kelly Brown is going to get a run at blindside flanker, his best positon, and will likely reclaim the captaincy.
"There will be changes," said Humphreys. "We have gone down a path of not necessarily picking for these games on form. We have to increase our depth and have to make sure we know exactly where we are. We may compromise a bit in terms of outcome to make sure that process is right. We are [seeking] the betterment of Scottish rugby; to make it consistent. That is what we will stick to.
"We came to this third game [of the series] and there will be three or four positions where we pick on form because we have to reward the integrity of some of the things we are trying to do. We are in a process of wanting to give people games, we want to see where we are. The idea is that we go forward and are stronger for the experience."
Humphreys feels the side is very much a work in progress. So, for example, while he was annoyed at the way they lost five of the first six line outs, he drew comfort from the way the players conquered their problems on the pitch, winning 15 of the next 16. He admitted, however, the breakdown remains a problem, and action is needed before Australia's speedy back row arrive.
"It is something we have to work on," said Humphreys. "There is a slightly different philosophy about how we are trying to play and maybe there are a couple of steps back before we go forward. We are not after mini peaks and troughs, we are after consistency. We have to go down a certain route. Some players are not suited to the way we want to play but we have to find out what depth we have, which players we are taking forward in the next 22 matches [before the World Cup].
"We are looking at ourselves in terms of the areas we need to improve. We understand the threat Australia have in terms of being very potent when they get the ball, especially in broken-field areas. We have to make sure we are structurally sound and don't give them opportunities to put a really good backline on the front foot."
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