Scotland v Argentina: Gray brothers to start

Jonny Gray, left, and brother Richie Gray will both line up for Scotland against Argentina. Picture: SNS

AFTER the phoney war of the summer tour, when circumstances had as much say in selection as head coach Vern Cotter, the Scottish rugby public got a glimpse of the Kiwi’s thinking yesterday when he announced his team to face Argentina at BT Murrayfield tomorrow.

The starting XV contains ten players plucked from Glasgow Warriors’ ranks, including the entire back division with the exception of scrum-half and skipper Greig Laidlaw. In contrast, there are just two Edinburgh bodies starting the Test, both of them front-row forwards.

With a distinct lack of experience in several key positions, 8, 10 and 13 come to mind, and five of the starting XV aged 23 or younger, the side has a fresh-faced feel to it but Cotter was quick to back them yesterday. He said: “I think these guys have been playing well.

“They get a chance to put the shirt on and show their qualities.”

There are two shades of Gray in the second row of the scrum, brothers Richie and Jonny teaming up for the first time in any form of the game.

The pair have never shared the same pitch before, although it was a close thing this time last year when Jonny replaced elder brother in the match against South Africa.

Elsewhere, Ross Ford’s superior scrummaging won him the hooker’s starting shirt and Finn Russell takes over the No 10 role, as was widely anticipated. The young Glasgow stand-off, still only 22, makes his first appearance at Murrayfield, while Mark Bennett makes his first international appearance full stop, the only uncapped player in the 23-strong squad. The Glasgow midfielder has, arguably, been the form player in Scotland this season and he will make his Test debut outside a friendly face in the form of Glasgow colleague Alex Dunbar, who has enjoyed just 40 minutes of competitive rugby in the last seven weeks.

“Mark [Bennett] gives us the qualities he has as a line-breaker and he gives us a couple of options on attack with his ability to beat defenders,” said Cotter.

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“He’s playing with guys he plays with at club level as well. That first-five-centre combination is important and we have spoken quite a bit about his patience and build-up and he now gets his first opportunity in front of his home crowd. I know he will be relishing that moment and giving it his best.”

Dunbar suffered an injury to his thigh and aggravated the problem in his comeback match against Montpellier. His selection is a calculated gamble but Cotter may have reckoned that he was needed to counter the physical presence of Marcelo Bosch, Saracens’ muscular Argentine centre. Bosch by name, bosh by nature. Cotter conceded that Dunbar hadn’t enjoyed much game time in recent weeks but insisted that he had looked good when he had booted up in earnest.

The Glasgow back three of Tommy Seymour, Sean Maitland and Stuart Hogg offers a cutting edge with genuine pace in the wider channels if the forwards provide them with any front-foot ball against an Argentine pack that is not noted for taking a backward step.

In the third row of the scrum, Blair Cowan gets the nod over Chris Fusaro and the “abrasive” Rob Harley beats Alasdair Strokosch to the No 6 jersey. Johnnie Beattie is still recovering from a groin injury – he should play against Toulon this weekend for his French club Castres – so No 8 Adam Ashe wins his second cap after being thrown into the deep end against South Africa in the summer.

“Adam gives us the ability to connect the play of forwards and backs,” said his coach of the player sitting next to him in the press conference.

“He is a player who stands out and gives us a wider option. We have players who play around rucks and carry ball there, the two Grays do that particularly well, but Adam gives us a pass-catch [option] and he has good feet. He can play midfield and wider and link forwards and backs.

“Looking at his defensive performances, I think he has really improved. He has gained weight and he is a competitor. He likes hitting hard and he will be looking forward to this game to show his qualities.”

With Scotland unlikely to beat New Zealand and favourites to triumph over Tonga [not that you would bet your first born on the result], this opening fixture against Argentina is the all-important Test for this young side. BT Murrayfield should be a factor but, with Los Pumas winning their last four games there, it is not obvious which side the old stadium with the brand new pitch will favour. At least Scotland are unlikely to fail for lack of effort and, while the “e” word isn’t mentioned very often in connection with professional sport, the team should enjoy the style of rugby fostered by Cotter.

“It’s not really about me but, on a personal level, I’m absolutely excited about this, really looking forward to the game, really looking forward to see the team run out at BT Murrayfield,” said the Kiwi. “We’ve things to focus on, we’ve preparation to think about it. We need to think about each moment of this game as it unfolds and how we can do our best and I think we’ll do that.

“I’m looking to see them have a go. They’re good players, really good players, and they need to pick the ball up and run with it. I want to see them enjoy their rugby, play for each other as best they can.

“A lot of philosophy we base our rugby on is initiative. Taking the ball up, having a good look in front of you and having a go. We’ve got a great surface here and we’ve got players who are really excited about playing on that. Hopefully we can get some speed into it.”

Scotland:

Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors), Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (c) (Gloucester), Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby), Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby), Euan Murray (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Castres), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Cowan (London Irish), Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors).

Subs: Scott Lawson (Gloucester), Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors), Geoff Cross (London Irish), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan), Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors).

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