THE United States team are big guys with a very physical approach to the game. They are all good athletes, representatives of a sport which is reported to be the fastest-growing in America, where a new professional league is about to be launched. So they are not to be taken lightly.
But, having said that, I would predict it will take around 10 to 15 years for them to become a force to be reckoned with in world rugby. Scotland have more natural ability than this American side, and I expect them to be too strong all over the park today.
The tight turnaround meant Vern Cotter was always going to make a few changes at least, and it is no surprise that he has gone for some players who, while not in his first-choice team, have the robustness that will be required to take on the Americans up front. I expected Richie Gray to come into the second row, and the fact that Grant Gilchrist was taken off relatively early against Japan was an indication that he would go again on today. Alasdair Strokosch and Josh Strauss come into the back row, and they are both big men who are equally adept at blunting close-quarters attacks and making some hard gains themselves.
Behind the pack, it will be interesting to see the tempo at which Henry Pyrgos sets out. He is faster than Greig Laidlaw, and it was interesting to hear him say that he wanted Scotland to impose themselves on the US early on.
Having watched the Americans lose to Samoa, I must admit I wasn’t that impressed by them. They can play better than they did in that match, but I still think we can punish them – I’d like to see Scotland put them to the sword with another bonus-point win.
Getting a bonus point was one of the most positive aspects of the win against Japan, and even before the pool stage is at the halfway mark it has become clear that bonus points could be crucial in the group. The fact South Africa got two in their defeat by the Japanese was probably no consolation at the time, but it might yet turn out to be very important to them.
So I’d like to see us creating more space out wide than we did against Japan. Sean Maitland and Tim Visser, the two wingers, have certainly got the ability to do real damage to the US, and I can see them both finishing up on the score sheet.
The defence has to be worked on after some of its shortcomings were shown up against Japan, particularly at their try, which came from a driven maul that followed a line-out. The ease with which Japan forced their way over the line for that score was a concern at the time, but fortunately Scotland showed they were able to learn quickly, and when the Japanese tried something similar again they were unsuccessful. Evidence of more progress like that will be encouraging today.
Another of the most positive elements of the win against Japan was the way in which Scotland took their chances. All right, there was that moment right at the end of the first half when we should have scored a try but Tommy Seymour was tackled into touch, but in the second half it felt like almost every opening that came our way ended in a score.
The tries were all good scores. Seymour’s came from the kind of interception that has become second nature to him, Mark Bennett showed his eye for a gap with his two tries, and Finn Russell and John Hardie did well to finish off moves. As I said, though, we could do with spreading the ball a bit more as well as attacking through the middle, and that’s one tactical variation I expect today.
The schedule of games is a tough one, but the good thing for Cotter is that he has a very strong squad. He knows what his first team is, but at least in terms of physical power he has back-up guys who are just as strong as his first-choice line-up. Some of those guys have a real chance to make their mark on the tournament today, and I expect them to take that chance.
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