Rugby: Sean warns Scots must beware the scarlet kick in next Six Nations clash with Wales

Published on Tuesday 9 February 2010 09:08

SCOTLAND have been warned to beware a scarlet super-boot when they head for Wales on Saturday looking to kick start their RBS Six Nations rugby campaign.

And the warning comes from someone who knows Wales's 32-year-old stand off maestro Stephen Jones particularly well – his Llanelli colleague Sean Lamont who is set to earn a 42nd Scotland cap.

Says Lamont: "Stephen is a great player who commands a game really well."

Such praise is well warranted as Jones rose from the ashes of a debut that was Wales' 96-13 (yes, 96) defeat by South Africa in Pretoria 12 years ago to build an international career spanning 84 caps for his country so far, plus six Test outings for the Lions.

During that run Jones has scored more points against Scotland than any other European nation and needs just five more for a century in the fixture.

Added Lamont: "Playing week in, week out with Stephen I have noticed he seems to make the right decisions a lot of the time.

"He's definitely a danger in an entire back-line that is talented."

Much has been made of a possible Welsh backlash to opening with a 17-30 defeat by England at Twickenham.

But Lamont insists the same applies to Scotland about a match in which there could be as many Llanelli players in the visiting ranks this weekend given that Jones was the sole standard-bearer from Parc y Scarlets at Twickenham.

Both sides will no doubt have to steel themselves for a match that could well prove to be finely balanced.

"Wales will be under pressure but no more than Scotland.

"We need a win as much as them and I can't imagine Wales' desire being any greater than ours.

"I gather (Welsh coach) Warren Gatland said to his players 'you let yourselves down' in the changing rooms at Twickenham.

"So far as Scotland were concerned the chat was about the two soft tries conceded.

"Now, if we want to do anything in this Championship, we have to win from here on in and that means three away games – starting on Saturday."

According to Lamont the opening round of fixtures emphasised the narrow margins between success and failure.

"Wales had Alun Wyn-Jones sin-binned and during the time he was off England scored 14 points. In Scotland's case we twice allowed ourselves to get pulled infield by a matter of inches which allowed France to walk in a couple of tries.

"If our defence had moved out by a step instead of being too tight things could have been different.

"We recognised that by half-time which, of course, was too late.

"But, having been made even more aware, that type of error can't be allowed to re-occur in Wales; really, it wasn't like us to leave the type of gap we did twice for Mathieu Bastareaud."

To be fair Lamont was one of those Scots who distinguished himself with a try-saving tackle after Francois Trinh-Duc charged down a clearance and controlled the ricochet.

Giving the French stand off five yards of a start winger, Lamont was quick enough to reel him in just short of the try-line.

"It is hard to get any satisfaction from a game you lose," said Lamont. "Okay, you know yourself when you have put in a decent performance but when the team loses it is no good one or two guys – Johnny Beattie played really well – having a good game.

"Unless our whole team is firing, which is what I believe happened but on occasions only, it is no use.

"Again, to be fair, nobody wants to take a backseat ride in this Scottish team and when Thom Evans and Kelly Brown combined to deny Vincent Clerc early on that was another example of the willingness to put in 100 per cent effort."

On that occasion Brown put in a magnificent tap tackle to check the progress of a substitute who had come on boasting a record of 55 tries from 39 starts – Scotland haven't managed one as a team in three outings – while Evans' upper body strength prevented the ball being grounded. Added Lamont: "If we do go behind, we need to be more clinical and apply more pressure through better ball retention.

"Against France we had to chase the game and when we did draw it back a little we would give away a penalty at the other end which enabled them to cancel things out."

Referring to Scotland's 9-8 win over Australia in the Autumn internationals Lamont said: "Against Australia we didn't have a lot of the ball but we got lucky and that was because our defence was right."

With the attack still to prove itself this season it is beyond argument that success cannot be achieved unless the rearguard sorts out quickly ahead of a trip to a Welsh capital where Scotland last won eight long years ago.

SIX NATIONS TEAM GUIDES:

Scotland

England

France

Ireland

Italy

Wales