Allan Massie: Only way for Scotland to win in France is to pick a side capable of scoring tries

Published on Monday 9 February 2009 22:18

DISAPPOINTING certainly, though one has to say that, till Warren Gatland concluded after an hour that the game was won and brought on all his replacements, Wales looked very good indeed, worthy champions.

On Saturday I wrote that in order to win we needed to prevent Wales from getting quick ball, preferably by lawful means, while winning such ball ourselves. Sadly the reverse happened. Wales gave Mike Phillips a lot of quick ball while denying that to Scotland, occasionally lawfully. They benefited from an indulgent referee, but, as David Sole wrote elsewhere, if Alain Rolland wasn't going to penalise the Welsh for lying on the wrong side of the ball at the breakdown, the Scottish forwards should at least have made that a painful experience for them – but didn't.

Evidently we missed Euan Murray and Nathan Hines more than the Welsh missed Ryan Jones and Gavin Henson. Nevertheless it was the injury after 20 minutes to Geoff Cross that destroyed any chance we had to getting back into the game. After his departure our set scrum was a shambles. If he had still been on the field we might not have been pushed off our own ball at that five-metres scrum after Chris Paterson had been brought down just short of the line a few minutes before half-time. A try then, if converted, would have made the score 13-10. But the chance was lost.

Alastair Dickinson is a very good rugby player, but not yet a great scrummager, especially on the – wrong – tight head. It's surely desirable to have a replacement prop capable of playing either side of the front row. Gavin Kerr, who seems to have dropped out of the reckoning, had his weaknesses, but he fitted that bill rather well.

Our troubles in the set scrum and the slowness of ball won at the breakdown meant that the Scottish backs were rarely in a position to make use of such ball as they got. As the game turned out we would have been better with Dan Parks at 10. At least he is capable, like Ronan O'Gara, of ensuring that a lot of the game is played in the opposition half of the field, something that Phil Godman can't do.

It's difficult for players to shine when they are on the back foot, but Simon Taylor had a fine match, tackling as well as ever and taking the game to the Welsh whenever he had the opportunity to do so.

Paterson too gave the lie to those who have persuaded themselves that these days he is of value only as a goal-kicker. Only a tremendous tackle from Andy Powell prevented him from scoring that try just before half-time, while, before the days of video refs, he would probably have been awarded a try from his chip and chase. Sadly the TMO's decision was the right one.

Hugo Southwell is playing so well that Paterson should probably start on the right wing against France – unless, of course, Frank Hadden has a Road to Damascus conversion and puts him at fly-half.

After a match like this, the question is whether you say it was just a bad day at the office and make few changes, or try to liven things up. Of course, with a turnaround of only six days, the team doctors may have as much say as Hadden and his fellow selectors. However, there is one point which I hope will be borne in mind, and, since it is one often made by Gregor Townsend, it may indeed be acted on. This is that a side like France, who looked very good in that splendid match at Croke Park, are always likely to score at least two or three tries. So, if you are to beat them, you have to pick a side capable of scoring tries themselves.

To my mind, this means that the Evans boys should both start. That might be harsh on Ben Cairns who was given little chance to get into the game on Sunday, but Max Evans took his try so well – in a manner indeed that made him look like a Scottish O'Driscoll – that he surely deserves to be picked. As for brother Thom, the old adage holds good: there is no substitute for speed; to which one might add that on Sunday Sean Lamont looked short of pace. Presuming that Graeme Morrison stays, and that Paterson is on the wing, then there is a good argument for playing Parks at 10 in the hope that he will distribute as well as he did for Glasgow in Toulouse, and because, if we are condemned to win only slow ball, he will make better use of it than Godman.

Up front, if Murray, and Hines are still not fit – and , let us hope they are not selected if less than completely fit – then there is a question at tight head. Cross will presumably play if his fellow medics approve. Otherwise it will surely be Moray Low. John Barclay had a disappointing game on Sunday but must remain, while at No 6 I would for this game select either Alastair Strokosch or Kelly Brown ahead of Ally Hogg – a good man to come off the bench later on.

So (perhaps): Southwell; Paterson, Max Evans, Morrison, Thom Evans; Parks, Blair; Jacobsen, Ford, Cross (or Low); White, Hamilton: Brown (or Strokosch), Taylor, Barclay.

At least there's a chance that this team might score tries.