I was riled a little this morning when my Welsh friend mocked Scotland's over-reliance on the kicking game in this years 6 Nations. Unfortunately, he's right.
Generally speaking, Scotland's defence has been very good, and they are more than happy to depend on it and play without the ball for large portions of a game. The possession percentages against Ireland and Wales particularly have been very low, not because they have been outplayed (although it has happened at times), but rather because it's part of the design. Captain Kelly Brown has epitomised the defensive stoicism, racking up tournament leading tackling figures.
Kelly Brown has led the tournament in
tackling stats
All this depends, however, on field position. Scotland like to defend so long as it's high up the pitch. Any opportunity to hoof the ball from their own half is taken, normally by Greig Laidlaw from his scrum half position. Territorial advantage is king in Scotland's game plan.
The net effect can appear to be very negative, and now it has been adhered to for 4 games in this years tournament, I'm starting to pine for change.
It's widely acknowledged that Scotland have potentially one of the most exciting young back 3 combinations in Europe, but they haven't been given the opportunity to cause havoc with Scotland on the front foot.
At Twickenham, they were given a clear license to counter attack from just about anywhere on the pitch, preying on England's reliance on the territorial kick, and they executed that part of their brief excellently.
Both of Stuart Hogg's tries, along with Sean Maitland's effort, have come directly from defensive positions. Only once has Scotland put the ball through the hands from an attacking platform, resulting in a n excellent try for Matt Scott against Italy.
Stuart Hogg scores at Twickenham
Scotland notched up 6 tries in their first 2 games. They haven't managed any since.
So now Scotland find themselves in an unusual position - mid table obscurity. Saturdays tournament curtain closer in Paris sees Scotland take on a struggling outfit with not a great deal to lose, and with little pressure playing at home. It presents the perfect opportunity to play a more expansive brand of rugby.
They are capable of it, and have the players and finishers to execute it. The question is whether Johnson will stray from his usual tact to exploit a rare opportunity to get a win against an underperforming French side.
Johnson has stuck with Duncan Weir at fly-half, and rightly so in my opinion. Despite having back up in the form of Kelly Brown when Wales attacked the 10 channel, he showed himself to be a stubborn tackler. Some of his creative touches in attack, as few and far between as they were, were pretty good. His chip and chase in the first half last Saturday showed he has the vision and nouse to make positive yards.
Weir will be the fulcrum of any attack if Scotland choose to move the ball wide more often and so he will have to add that extra dimension to his game this weekend, but I see no problem with him stepping up in this regard. Centre Matt Scott has had a good tournament and is settling nicely at the 12 position. Sean Lamont looks uneasy at 13, not his natural position, and has been caught out as the blitz runner in Scotland's defensive scheme. With ball in hand though, he is capable of punching holes in that robust French midfield.
Building phases will be key for Scotland. Only once against Wales did they build a series more than 5. They will have to earn the right to go wide by sucking in defensive players in the middle as they make the hard yards to give Hogg, Visser and Maitland any chance to exploit space.
Scotland have it in them to score tries against France and to play a bit of rugby in what should be good conditions. They owe it to themselves to play better than they did against both Ireland and Wales. If they have ambitions to win 3 from 5 and finish the tournament in the top half of the table, they're going to have to.
