Iain Morrison: As the Steven Shingler row rumbles on, what are the prospects for the uncapped players in Andy Robinson’s Scotland squad?

Published on Sunday 8 January 2012 00:00

LIKE Oscar Wilde’s response to the death of Charles Dickens’ fictional character Little Nell, it is difficult not to laugh out loud at the latest shenanigans over the eligibility or otherwise of Welsh under-20 cap Steven Shingler.

You can bet the additional two or three other Scottish-qualified players that Andy Robinson has admitted he is also talking to will now be vetted as closely as the president of the USA.

With the Welsh union insisting Shingler’s under-20 outing against France ties him to them, his Scottish mum and his stated determination to keep his eligibility open (he’s also potentially English due to his dad) mean the Scottish Rugby Union are confident they’ve got their man.

Incidentally, one Langholm RFC stalwart insists that he informed the appropriate authorities of Shingler’s heritage five years ago, having been schooled with his mother. If the SRU had acted sooner, Scotland might have nabbed the older Shingler brother, flanker Aaron, who is a live prospect for Wales’ own Six Nations squad, as well as midfielder Steven, pictured below.

The brouhaha has rather distracted everyone from the composition of Robinson’s initial Six Nations squad, which he insisted was just for the opener against England, and he admitted getting off to a good start was vital after Scotland’s last two tournament wins, against Ireland and Italy, both arrived on the last weekend of competition.

“I believe this is a must-win match,” said the coach. “We’ve not got a foothold in the tournament previously and I think it’s an opportunity to get a foothold. That’s why it’s a big game for us. I think this England team that we will play against will be very good, that’s one of the concerns that I have. They won ten out of 13 games [last season], they’ll have a point to prove and they’ve got a squad that can do that.”

Robinson admitted that he had his starting XV all but fixed in his head but the coach insisted that any of the squad could still put their hands up for a place on the bench come 4 February. With one proviso – they have to be playing.

“If someone is not playing then I can’t pick him,” said the coach with blunt logic, which means that time is running out for winger Simon Danielli, who was not used by Ulster in their 42-20 Murrayfield win over Edinburgh on Friday.

While England are due to announce a 32-man squad this week, the Scots have already posted 36 names, which is not necessarily a good thing. The three and a half scrum-halves may be a sign of a strength but the three and a half stand-offs are not (Greig Laidlaw has a foot in both camps).

Other than Shingler, the squad was much as expected with one or two oddities. There is only one specialist full-back and even Stuart Hogg last appeared on the Glasgow teamsheet at outside centre. The teenager is uncapped and likely to remain so when England arrive in Edinburgh, so Robinson is doubtless hoping Rory Lamont will get some much-needed game time in the No.15 shirt following his painful collision with Ross Rennie at Murrayfield in the first derby match. That was one head-to-head encounter he lost badly.

The other problem positions are the back row of the scrum and the midfield, which is why Robinson went after Shingler in the first place.

The coach’s biggest call is still at stand-off, a problem position since the start of the millennium (this one rather than the last, although you sometimes wonder).

With his 34th birthday coming up in May, Dan Parks looks like safe pair of reserve hands rather than a first choice No.10. Robinson sees Laidlaw primarily as a scrum-half so that would leave him a straight choice between the Glasgow rivals Duncan Weir and Ruaridh Jackson, with the latter favourite if only because he has 11 caps to his name while Weir has yet to be tested in the international game. Robinson insisted that he’d have no issue capping one or two new players in the Calcutta Cup but handing a debut to a 20-year-old playmaker in such a high-profile match is asking for trouble.

One position further out, Robinson has the option of going with someone to get the side over the gain line in Sean Lamont or Graeme Morrison. Alternatively he could pick a more creative character with distribution skills who will act as more like a Kiwi second five-eighth. This is the role he may have pencilled Shingler in for, even if the Welsh-born Scot playing for London Irish in England (insert your own joke here) has to wait until the summer tour.

One of the reasons Edinburgh’s attack has been so effective this season is that they have generally fielded two stand-offs in the midfield. Either Matt Scott or James King regularly appears at inside centre but both men have played most of their rugby at No.10 and they bring all the skills and vision which that requires to the No.12 shirt. If Robinson goes down this route then Nick De Luca is his only real option against England, leaving Joe Ansbro to fight it out with Max Evans for the No.13 shirt.

Up front Robinson must find someone to partner Richie Gray in the second row, with Jim Hamilton, Al Kellock and Fraser Mackenzie, who has impressed since moving from Edinburgh to Sale, giving the coach the sort of three-into-one headache he likes. But, in the back row, Robinson has a different sort of problem. He only has one specialist No.8 in Richie Vernon.

Kelly Brown can do a shift there but blindside remains his best role.

After a few weeks sidelined with injury, Vernon has a chance to put his hand up for Sale in their match against London Irish this afternoon, albeit at No.6 rather than eight. Assuming he comes through today’s game unscathed that would leave Brown at No.6 and John Barclay or Ross Rennie at seven.

It’s still difficult to see past Brown for captain, although Robinson explained that he hadn’t announced the skipper because, after anointing Jonny Wilkinson as his chosen one in his England days, the World Cup-winning stand-off never once acually played for him.

And, on that note, England players are falling like flies ahead of the Calcutta Cup and Six Nations, with Danny Care’s disciplinary issues compounded by injuries to Toby Flood, Courtney Lawes, Louis Deacon and Manu Tuilagi.

Comments

There are 6 comments to this article

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

6

ericaallen

Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 11:06 AM

Interesting comments about the editor here and I think it's about time for the editor to be replaced. He lets so many mistakes go through and his sheer lack of knowledge and constant hiding behind the fictitious Gareth Black for reports is an insult to our intelligence. He really hasn't got a clue. Taxi for Donald!

• Report Unsuitable

5

Saturn2

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 11:29 PM

#3 Denton would be good at 8 but he has also played mostly on the flank this season with either talei or McInally at 8. i don't see a reason why McInally cant be called into the squad for no. 8 cover. The article headline was a touch miss leading but still gives a good insight into how robinson must be thinking

• Report Unsuitable

4

jockybadger

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 01:07 PM

And I'd play Lee Jones on the wing

• Report Unsuitable

3

jockybadger

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 11:48 AM

Agree 100% with article re NZ 2nd 58 style being employed to pretty good success at Edinburgh, James King should have been in the squad, maybe Shingler will play @ 12, De Luca is much better @ 13, I just hope its not same old same old - scoring tries is the biggest problem & having a big willing work horse @ 12 limits the creativity. Laidlaw is a certain starter @ 10 in my book, Jackson has failed, Weir on bench. Can't Denton be drafted in @ 8?

• Report Unsuitable

2

DJ77

Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 03:34 PM

I'd echo #1's sentiments. The article does not live up to its title and the research done for the photograph is insulting. If the editor honestly thought they'd get away with a photo depicting any old Sale player then he was very much mistaken. This kind of dross journalism is all to common on this website these days.

• Report Unsuitable

1

Rory

Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 11:22 AM

Leading with an article about uncapped prospects I find it surprising you would lead with a picture of James Gaskell, the Sale and England saxons player, especially as it is noted underneath that this is a picture of Fraser Mackenzie. You also make out that you are going to talk about the prospects of these uncapped players, however you only give a fleeting mention to many of them and miss out some altogether such as Rob Harley. Was this headline put in to generate interest in an otherwise dull and similar article to every other one written by The Scotsman, I find it difficult to see otherwise.

• Report Unsuitable

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

Logged in as:

Comment here. Start typing your comment here:

Post comment

Please adhere to our Community guidelines

Your view

Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.