Rugby: Allan Jacobsen's scrum of comfort

Published on Monday 8 February 2010 10:17

Returning forward reckons Scotland have the players able and ready to put right team's defensive errors . . .

ALLAN JACOBSEN today insisted that Scotland could still find ways to mark the likelihood of Chris Paterson gaining his 100th cap against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday in winning style.

Despite going down 9-18 to France at Murrayfield yesterday at the start of the RBS Six Nations Championship, Edinburgh star Jacobsen believes fortunes began to improve in a way that offers hope of a first victory in South Wales since 2002.

And, according to 'Chunk', whose emergence from the bench in 53 minutes at last began to give some desperately needed stability to a creaking scrum that was utterly fundamental to Scottish woes, adding gilt to his long-term colleague's day-of-days at the Millennium Stadium is all the incentive needed to take progress further.

"Definitely we will be hoping to get a win for Chris which is something we will be targeting for someone who has been a magnificent servant of the game for more than a decade," said the prop forward.

"I really hope we do well for Chris."

At the same time Jacobsen is under no illusions that sharing the second-half points 3-3 as they did against an admittedly solid French side only takes Scotland so far in recovery terms, the real damage was done earlier when Mathieu Bastareaud crossed for his two tries. "We left ourselves with too much to do," said Jacobsen of a first half ending 6-15. "We gave away a couple of soft tries it was hard to get back from.

"In the second half we had some attacks and we kept the ball but without being ruthless enough and it is all about an 80-minute – not just 40-minute – performance from us.

"If we do these things then we have players capable of performing and stringing together the moves we need – of that I'm certain."

One of those players is undoubtedly forward Euan Murray who operates from the opposite side of the front row from Jacobsen and who opted out yesterday on religious grounds which require him to observe the sanctity of the Sabbath. With Murray virtually guaranteed to return and Jacobsen injecting the sort of resolve that enabled Scotland to withstand serious scrum pressure on their own line at times , then the outlook need not be bleak.

Likewise of those who did turn out there were flashes of form from most notably winger Sean Lamont in both attack and defence while the back row of Kelly Brown, John Barclay and most notably the big ball carrier that is Johnny Beattie punctuated tireless graft with shafts of continuity play.

But a scrum that was tossed around like a rag doll at times is only part of the problem confronting coach Andy Robinson today.

Most notably the paucity of touchdowns remains and the chilling statistic is that this was Scotland's fifth try-less match out of six.

Not only have they now gone three-in-a-row without a try in the Six Nations but also in all games played and you have to go back to Scott Gray's strike against Italy last year for evidence of a Scottish Six Nations try – all of 257 long and weary minutes ago.

Scarcely, if ever, has there been such a barren period and the lack of composure when in behind the opposition was seen again.

True, Scotland did at least get in behind opponents this time even if more often than not attempts to seek width against an exceedingly fast advancing blitz-type defence was fraught with danger and one wonders if there might have been more to be gained by attacking around the fringes.

But more often than not the over-riding feature was of pretty patterns being woven in, at best, midfield and often inside the Scottish half for establishing field position while effective kicking is not a trait of this lacklustre and largely ineffective team.

Indeed, so dominant were the French with prop Thomas Domingo outstanding that Scotland spent 62 minutes out of the actual 86 minutes played occupying their own territory and if it is proving hard enough to breakthrough from a matter of feet and inches out, what chance half a pitch's length and more?

In addition to set piece frailties which extended also to one chronically surrendered lineout throw when hard yards to within sight of the tricolours line had been gained, and lack of composure in attack, throw in some comic cuts defending from which they were fortunate to emerge unscathed.

I refer to the incident around the 72 minute mark when Richie Gray, fresh on for his debut and a 6ft 8in giant, found himself moved to the scrum-half position on a throw-in rather than in the middle of the lineout he is ideally suited to dominating. This during a half which started with Scottish concentration problems surfacing instantly as the re-start kick was hoofed straight out into touch allowing France a field position they translated into pressure sufficient to yield a penalty by Morgan Parra within three minutes of the transgression and which, by adding to his similar effort earlier and conversion, effectively sealed matters.

All that remained was for Chris Paterson to slot his third penalty and take his international tally up to the highly commendable 750 points mark on a day which started with coach Robinson writing in the programme of "exciting times" and specifically the need to "impose ourselves on the game from the off".

By the end and after seeing his defence sucked in to allow Bastareaud his two tries in such a simple manner that he had a spare man outside – clearly the 17st 4lb destroyer is more of a finisher and it is his cousin, William Gallas, who is the family's provider as all those Irishmen who saw Gallas set up a goal for Thierry Henry late last year will testify although it is arguable which of these two French sporting representatives are the better handlers – Robinson was acknowledging Scottish shortcomings.

It was, too, a forthright appraisal from Robinson in remarking: "We conceded two soft scores. We were under pressure from a good French scrum. The most significant difference was that in the first half the two chances they had they took. When we had various opportunities we didn't hold on to the ball, particularly in the first half.

"We needed to control the scoreboard and we were unable to do that through turning over possession in the first 30 minutes. That was not really respecting the ball, the ball being knocked out of our hands on four or five occasions."

It is hard to argue with that and for the ninth time in a decade Scotland have been left at the post on the opening Six Nations day although for the perfect summation look no further than Scottish captain, Chris Cusiter.

"On the day you have to say the better team won," said Cusiter and it is impossible to argue with that.