Long-time captain Greig Laidlaw has been dropped for tomorrow’s meeting with Grand Slam chasing Wales as former flatmates Ali Price and Finn Russell are recalled at half-back in a bid to inject life into Scotland’s failing Six Nations Championship campaign.
The veteran scrum-half, who holds the record for most Scotland appearances as captain, is axed in the wake of the national team’s first back-to-back failures in more than three years, with Stuart McInally taking over the leadership of a team which shows four personnel changes in all to the starting XV in Paris last month, as WP Nel returns from injury and Darcy Graham is brought in on the wing, while Pete Horne is shifted to inside centre to accommodate Russell.
Head coach Gregor Townsend insisted that Laidlaw will still have a major role to play, but he is hoping that Price and Russell can prove the necessary spark as they did the only time Scotland have beaten Wales in the past 12 years, when the stand off kicked 16 points as a 29-13 win was registered.
“They’ve played together a fair bit,” he said of the former Glasgow Warriors team-mates.
“Two years ago when Greig got injured Finn and Ali were the half-backs here against Wales. They went on to play together on that summer tour and the November Tests. They played well together.
“They are talking a lot about the game. They led a lot of our attacking meeting yesterday [Wednesday], watching training, reviewing training together and having these natural conversations you get between two good friends and they know each other’s games really well. That’s important but so was the cohesion between Finn and Greig, they played a number of games together too.”
He noted that Russell’s return to fitness had been a key factor in his friend’s recall, which is also partly down to looking towards this year’s World Cup, now that Scotland’s bid to win a first championship in 20 years has ended in another failure.
“I think if it hadn’t been Finn we might have looked at a more experienced partner to go with Adam (Hastings),” said Townsend.
“It would have been part of the discussion that’s for sure but we feel at this stage this team gives us a better chance of winning this weekend with Ali starting and Greig off the bench, but it also gives us an opportunity to look at someone who has been playing really well in a year when we have another tournament around the corner.”
The midfield re-shuffle looks like a harsh critique on the efforts of Sam Johnson, one of Scotland’s best performers in their previous home games in the championship, against Italy and Ireland, but who was replaced during the second half in Paris as Horne was moved out to centre, with Hastings taking over at stand off.
“That was a long discussion, a reflection on that selection,” Townsend admitted.
“It’s tough on Sam. He didn’t have his best game against France, but that’s understandable. A player just starting his international career and in a new environment and the team not playing as well too.
Fielding Johnson at outside centre was another option that was rejected.
“He’s done it a couple of times for Glasgow but given the experience he’s up against in the Welsh team in that area we didn’t think it was the right time,” Townsend explained.
“Also, we’re giving Nick (Grigg) another opportunity. He defended well, made 18 tackles, he worked hard… he was disappointed on a couple of occasions when he lost the ball in contact, but that’s normally a strength of his, he’s a very good ball carrier and we know he’s capable of more this weekend.”
The management had been expected to freshen up the back-row with Hamish Watson having, like Nel, returned to action for Edinburgh last weekend, while Sam Skinner, who impressed in the autumn, has also been cleared to play again, but will do so for Exeter Chiefs rather than Scotland.
“I believe the back row are playing well,” Townsend said, however.
“Josh Strauss has been in the best form of his international career the last few weeks. Two games ago he had one of the best performances I’ve seen by a Scottish back-rower with tackles and ball carrying against Ireland. Jamie Ritchie has been in great form and Magnus Bradbury we believe deserves another opportunity.”
Glasgow Warriors pair Jonny Gray and Tommy Seymour will meanwhile both be making their 50th appearances for Scotland.
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