Robinson will send out Scots to develop a cutting edge

Published on Tuesday 24 November 2009 22:59

WITH the incredible defensive effort and long wait for victory over Australia now in the past, Scotland coach Andy Robinson has turned the spotlight firmly on his side's struggles to catch the ball and create an attacking threat in their opening two games of the autumn series.

The three changes made in a side that will bid to claim a first win over Argentina at Murrayfield in four Test matches all surround the coaches' desire to develop a quick, attacking Scottish side. Ben Cairns and Graeme Morrison are the pairing Robinson planned to pitch against Fiji, the coach revealed yesterday, but a knee injury to Cairns in his final Magners League match with Edinburgh before the autumn break ruled that out.

Alex Grove stepped in at No 13 and impressed the coaching team immensely, so he rather than Morrison keeps his place for the final match. Robinson confirmed that the Glasgow centre had been taken off at half-time on Saturday due to first half errors – dropped balls – that underlined the area he is keen to improve.

Grove and Cairns are known for their handling skills and with Thom Evans back in place of Simon Danielli, Robinson is eager to see ball moved and the Pumas stretched. "I thought the midfield needed freshening up," the coach explained. "We've not really attacked that well. It was quite disappointing, some of our attacking play and our ability to hold on to the ball (against Australia].

"We have been working hard on attack, but the problem last week was dropped balls and simple catching. We turned two balls over at the maul, two in the set-piece, so we need to improve our ability to launch our first-phase attacks.

"Ben Cairns would probably have started (the first game] if he had been fit, and he played well for the A team on Friday. Shifting Alex Grove to 12 gives us the centre combination we had in the Nations Cup, but Alex keeps his spot because I think he has been the standout back for the team in the way he has defended.

"He has had a cool head throughout the two games and has stepped up to a really high level of performance. One of the younger players, the way he has played and his decision-making under real pressure has been superb and credit to him for that."

However, returning to his theme, Robinson insisted it was Grove's attacking skills that he would like to see more of. "We want Alex to be able to play," he continued. "We want him to mix up his game and not just be a runner. We've got some good passers there, so it's about bringing every other player into the game. And I also felt we needed a bit of extra pace in the side and Thom (Evans] provides that – he's our quickest player.

"I was always looking at him (to return against Argentina] providing he was fit, and I thought he did well with the As. He is ill at the moment, but we expect him to be fit to train tomorrow (Tuesday]."

This would have been an easy opportunity for Robinson and his assistants Graham Steadman and Gregor Townsend to stick with a winning team, the historic nature of the first two wins under a new coach and first defeat of Australia in 27 years being such a rarity. However, those results have earned the coaches space in which to continue laying foundations for their first RBS Six Nations Championship.

They are keen not to let the win deflect from the fact that there remain areas needing improvement and players reminding of the competition that is around. The omission of Barclay is a particularly tough call as the openside flanker arguably enjoyed his best performance in a Scotland jersey, and contributing nearly 11 per cent of the entire 22s record number of tackles.

However, Robinson stated: "I thought John Barclay played really well at the weekend... but Alan MacDonald has been really pushing for a spot in the way he has been playing for Edinburgh, in training and in the A team and this gave me an opportunity to put him in.

"I thought it important to have another seven who is going to be competing and pushing John over the next couple of years. John is disappointed, of course, but the way he has trained today has been brilliant in terms of his support of the team."

Robinson is unconcerned at withdrawing two of his leadership group in Morrison and Barclay, and pleased that Chris Cusiter has come through tests on the head knock that forced him off early on Saturday. The fact that Mike Blair has not recovered from an ankle injury relieved Robinson of having to decide between his joint-captain and Rory Lawson for the bench, the latter having earned his place at least in the 22 with a fine hour on Saturday.

With Argentina missing around 12 players on this tour, and having lost to Scotland in their last meeting in Buenos Aires in 2008, there will be a tendency among some Scotland supporters to believe that the hard work has been done to clinch only a second three-match clean sweep in the autumn international series Others will be acutely aware of the occasions that Scotland have followed a towering win with an insipid defeat.

However, Robinson, whose time as England's head coach was forced on to its last legs by defeat to Argentina at Twickenham three years ago, is happy that there is no complacency within his squad.

"We've only won twice in nine games (against the Pumas]," he added. "They're a tough team to play against.

SCOTLAND TEAMfor Saturday's game against Argentina at Murrayfield, 2.30pm)

15 R Lamont (Toulon)

14 S Lamont (Scarlets)

13 A Grove (Worcester)

12 B Cairns (Edinburgh)

11 T Evans (Glasgow)

10 P Godman (Edinburgh)

9 C Cusiter (Glasgow, capt)

1 A Jacobsen (Edinburgh)

2 R Ford (Edinburgh)

3 M Low (Glasgow)

4 N Hines (Leinster)

5 A Kellock (Glasgow)

6 A Strokosch (Gloucester)

7 A MacDonald (Edinburgh)

8 J Beattie (Glasgow)

Replacements:

D Hall (Glasgow)

K Traynor (Edinburgh)

J White (Clermont Auvergne)

R Vernon (Glasgow)

R Lawson (Gloucester)

C Paterson (Edinburgh)

N De Luca (Edinburgh)

• The Predictor: Guess the outcome of Scotland v Argentina