FIVE Scotland captains are set to lead Edinburgh’s bid for Champions Cup glory against one of European rugby’s traditional powerhouse teams today, with half of them set to perform in what their coach expects to be a decisive battle between two formidable packs.
Stuart McInally, who provided an inspirational lead as Scotland captain earlier this month, will again be in charge, while his understudy, Ross Ford, has also led the national team, as have lock Grant Gilchrist and flanker John Barclay who are also part of a forward unit that is stronger than Scotland’s. They will be urged on by scrum-half Henry Pyrgos, the fifth of those Scotland skippers and since they also have home advantage, head coach Richard Cockerill’s insistence that they remain underdogs relies wholly on history, rather than the current strength.
“We as a club are not used to and haven’t, consistently, turned up when it really mattered. That’s the fact of it,” is his reasoning. “In our last two quarter-finals (in the second tier Challenge Cup) we haven’t done ourselves justice. Last year’s Pro14 quarter-final was a step forward for us, we went to (Munster’s) Thomond Park and it was a tight game, where we all felt happy with what we’d done in the season and came away having lost by four points... but at some point you’ve got to tip those scales. Munster are used to finding a way of winning games. Historically they’ve done that and even last year they found a way of getting past us when they weren’t at their best and they should have, could have, won in the semi-final against Leinster. They just have that bit more big game experience than we do.”
Not that there is a defeatist bone in the Englishman’s body and he knows he has built a team that can challenge the two-time former champions.
“I’m always going to back my team, for obvious reasons, but I think that you have to manage expectation around where we’re at,” Cockerill observed. “We’re coming here to win, I’ve got no qualms around that and no issues saying that, because if we get it right we’re good enough to beat Munster. If they get it right and we get it right and we’re both playing at the top of our game it’ll be interesting to see where we sit. That’s sport. Let’s see where we get to. If it was guaranteed one team were going to win there’d be no point coming. There’s going to be some fun. The back-row battle. The tight-five battle. That backline, they’ve got some big, physical ball carriers. Their wingers are fantastic in the air. On paper, their half backs are better than ours, but we’ll see because they have to deliver it.”
The inclusion of Darcy Graham in a relatively unaccustomed role at full-back when the international winger is a diminutive figure by the standards of modern rugby, is a surprise, but gives the 21-year-old maximum opportunity to express himself, while also seeking to address Munster’s likely tactical approach.
“We know what is coming and Damien (Hoyland) is very good under the high ball and Darcy the same,” said Cockerill.“It is going to be small margins. We have a strategy of getting Darcy into the game and he has good cutting edge. They are not a team that kicks the ball particularly long. The ball will be in the air a lot down the edges of the field from both teams. From what we have available, that is the best back-three combination. It’s a roll of the dice to a point. Without (Blair) Kinghorn I think we’re a bit blunt in the back three with any other combination. I’ve taken a risk a little bit, but I trust the individuals to do what I want them to do.”
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His selection is meanwhile a tribute to the way centres Chris Dean and James Johnstone have performed to hold off the challenges of Mark Bennett and Matt Scott on the return to full fitness of the international pair.
“You could pick Scott and Bennett… it would look great on paper but the reality is they have not played enough or done enough to be on good enough form to be in the team. Those two have. Simple as that,” said their coach.
“They’ve got a very combative midfield. One (Chris Farrell) is a fast lock playing at 13 and the other (Johnstone) looks like he’s playing for the under-12s. Jimmy’s got his hands full and he’s going to have to prove himself. I trust him to do the job.
“Chris Dean has done very well, a local boy who’s come through the system. He’s a tough man and that’s going to be a tough contest. Let’s look forward to it…. I don’t know if we’re good enough to win, but we’ll see tomorrow because I’m looking forward to that battle.”
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