Tentative display leaves White both angry and baffled

Published on Sunday 8 February 2009 21:54

JASON White emerged bruised and angry from Scotland's opening RBS Six Nations clash with Wales, and insisted that no Scottish player was blameless for an abject Test performance.

The former skipper regained the leadership role when Mike Blair was replaced late in the second half, the scrum-half having toiled all afternoon behind a beaten Scottish pack. White had been recalled to the team in the unfamiliar second row position, and was successful in twice stealing Welsh lineouts at the front, but typical of the Scottish display they failed to produce any benefit.

White said afterwards: "I think we all take the blame for that. I don't think anybody will be without blame, to be honest. We seemed to be tentative and didn't get wired in as much as we should have. Our defence wasn't good enough and they got a lot of go-forward.

"They won the collisions in attack and defence. We improved as the game went on, but the damage was done. Why didn't we perform? That's the million-dollar question and it's always difficult to answer straight after a game. We have to be realistic and accept that we weren't good enough. If you give a team like Wales space, they will take advantage.

"The first half was clearly just not good enough. We had a chance at the end of the first half; a big scrum on their line, and it was a big swing when they turned that round on us. We've lost key players – Euan Murray was excellent in November and Geoff Cross was looking really good in the scrums. But that's rugby, you just deal with injuries.

"For me, it was really tough on the fitness, because I haven't played much, but you do whatever you can to do your best."

If White keeps his place, he could come up against his Sale team-mate Sebastien Chabal in the France second row, and he knows how much of a physical battle he, and the whole French pack, will provide.

He added: "We have the talent in the squad; we should be better than that and we can play better. But it's easy to say that. We need to show it in Paris. The beauty of it is there is a quick turnaround.

"It's an absolutely massive challenge and France will be gunning for victory after losing in Ireland. We know what to expect from France. They will build momentum and try to get the crowd excited. If we can frustrate them and get the crowd going against them, we can cause problems. But they will really be out to attack us."

Blair was similarly struggling to comprehend why his pack could have been so tentative. With Ian McGeechan and Gerald Davies of the British and Irish Lions management in the stand watching, this was certainly not the kind of stuttering performance the scrum-half wanted to start his championship with, as Mike Phillips, his opposite number, grasped the chance to push his name into the frame.

Blair said: "So much of the game now is about the contact area – winning the collisions – and for the vast majority of the game that's what they did. They turned our ball into slow ball and they were getting quick ball all the time.

"It's hard to tell at that time what the situation is with the breakdown; they have some smart players there. Martyn Williams is a very destructive player – he slows it down a lot just by himself – and it's something we just didn't adapt to.

"Wales were very impressive and we knew they would be. But it's for us to look at how we're going to slow the ball and increase our line-speed in defence so that these long passes that were causing us problems are eradicated."

The one man who did improve his chances of attracting McGeechan's attention was Max Evans, whose try provided the only highlight of the day for the Scottish supporters.

He acknowledged: "It is almost easier to come on when the team is behind than when the team is winning because you have nothing to lose and can just give everything.

"If you are winning, you have that little nagging in the back of your mind that you might let it slip for them. Don't get me wrong I would have loved to come on with Scotland winning, but the message was to go and really attack them, to get the ball early and have a go.

"I'd love to start against France. I think France could be my kind of game if it is fast and open."