Scotland v New Zealand: Success from simple solutions required

THE message from the Scotland camp yesterday was clear. This evening's match against New Zealand is a big deal, and the home team are looking forward to the contest. They will be respectful but not intimidated by the challenge posed by the world's top side, and they believe that if they play to the best of their ability then they are genuinely capable of winning the contest.

Andy Robinson knows there is no secret formula that must be uncovered if Scotland are to claim their first victory over New Zealand at the 28th time of asking. All his boys have to do is start the match like a stampede of raging bulls, perform the basic skills immaculately, make the right decisions under pressure, and defend as if their lives depend upon it.

On top of that they must maintain 100 per cent focus throughout the full 80 minutes. They must treat every individual play as an isolated battle, then move on to the next phase of the game with a completely refreshed frame of mind.

If and when Scotland concede a score, there will be no room for regret or recrimination - they must concentrate all their energy on making sure that one setback does not become the start of a New Zealand onslaught. Having watched his countrymen scrapping fruitlessly to recover from the concession of two quick-fire tries against New Zealand last week, Robinson is acutely aware of how deadly today's opponents can be is they are given even the slightest opportunity.

If Scotland can do all this, and are still in touch at half time, then Robinson believes his boys might just have a fighting chance of turning the rugby world on its head.

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"We can't change history - all we can do is concentrate on the game we are preparing to play," he said yesterday.

"If you analyse New Zealand, what they are very good at is doing the basic skills outstandingly well. What we've got to do is put them under pressure, time and time again.

"None of our players can afford to drop off for five seconds, no matter how close to or far away from the action they are. We've got to be alert to every opportunity and, of course, we've got to be accurate.

"We've also got to be prepared to play with the ball in hand."

Robinson has said all week that a good start is going to be crucial in this match, and he reiterated that point yesterday.

"Firstly, we need to make sure that the moves we use are simple so we can get over the game-line. Secondly, we need to get everybody involved in the game early because when you've not played international rugby for a while it is important that everyone gets to have a feel of the ball or to make a big tackle to help get that collective edge in how we are playing," he said.

"Our ability to get the execution right will be important from the start.We need to get playing off line-outs and scrums, running hard off the ball, and we need to have a big work rate. That is what has delighted me about this Scotland team - they work really hard - and that's what we've got to do at the start. We have to get back on our feet quickly and back into the game, again and again.

'Those are the components you put together, and as you get a foothold in the game things start to flow for both sides. We want to get guys working hard outside Dan Parks getting some good, hard ball carries."

As if Scotland did not have enough to contend with this afternoon, they are coming up against a battle-hardened outfit that feels they are just beginning to find their rhythm after two tough outings against Australia and England during the last fortnight.

Scotland, in contrast, have not played since defeating Argentina in mid-June. They have won their last three games on the bounce, and immediately before that drew with England, so there is some momentum there - but how realistic is it to ask them to hit the ground running against a team of the calibre of the All Blacks?

"This is what we have, so this is what we are dealing with - there can't be any excuses," said Robinson. "We've worked to the best of our ability to prepare as a team, and everything else is hypothetical because we'll not know if we've got it right until we play the match."

Centre Graham Morrison believes that the positive energy generated by Scotland's successes has been sustained through this five month lay-off.

"We've got a group of players who have been through a lot together - plenty of lows, and more recently some really great highs. It has been a while since we played, but you don't forget experiences like those we had in Argentina and across in Croke Park. We're determined to build on those performances this weekend," he said.

"Winning against Ireland at Croke Park was one of the best experiences I've had on a rugby pitch. A lot of the players in our team experienced that too, so we do have a huge amount of self-belief - certainly more than we have had in previous years.

"We've got to be ready for one of the most physical games we'll have played in our lives, and as professional rugby players these are the games we relish," he added. "I strongly believe the guys are in great shape, and if we go out there tomorrow and play to our potential - defend as well as we can and attack with the style that we have shown in recent times - then we will be in a great position to beat them."