Preview: Scotland v Canada
Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:33
Scotland's inspirational leader: Mike Blair
Saturday will mark just the third fixture between Scotland and Canada - two embattled sides who are looking to put in big performances and round off their respective autumn campaigns on a high.
And believe it or not, Canada have beaten Scotland before. In Vancouver in 2002, the Canucks edged out the Scots. Six years on however, and at what appears to be a daunting venue for any visitor, one would have to say the Scots have the edge this time.
Notwithstanding the fact that Scotland came agonisingly close yet again to taking a major scalp (last weekend against South Africa) - they're frustrated, feel patronized by the general public, and Canada are likely to be on the receiving end of a fiery Celtic backlash.
"During the after-match function last weekend, lots of folk told me how well we had played - and that made us feel as if we were being patronised," said Scotland flank John Barclay.
"We have to stop putting ourselves in positions where we get patronised. If we are to be taken seriously we need to win - and win regularly."
Barclay added: "If only we could have won these two games it would have given us a massive confidence boost.
"Yes, it was good to run the world champions so close last Saturday (10-14) and the crowd really supported us, but you can only take so much from losing.
"We don't just want to 'do well' - we want to win. Nobody likes losing, I hope. And we need to use the mixture of frustration and anger to motivate us against the Canadians."
Meanwhile, Canada coach Kieran Crowley feels his priority is to balance the physical and psychological needs of his players as the minnows approach their fourth international in as many weekends.
Their last outing was against Wales in Cardiff where they lost 13-34 after twice being in front - which was a much more spirited performance after their (0-55) drubbing from the Irish the week before.
"There was a lot of pleasing aspects [against Wales] but we still didn't play a lot of rugby as far as creating a lot of opportunities," Crowley said.
"Overall, there has been progress but still with room for improvement. The Scotland game will be a real test and an accurate measure of where we are at the moment and I would like to think we will have come a long way in a few weeks."
Scotland - currently ranked ninth on the IRB World Rankings, are hosting the 15th-ranked Canucks at the intimate Pittodrie Stadium, in conditions which may suit the Canadians, but an allegiance which is entirely Scottish, and captain Mike Blair is hoping for a fervent turn-out:
"I remember it [Pittodrie] being a very welcoming crowd in 2005 and the supporters got behind us from the start. Hopefully we'll play in front of a full stadium against Canada on Saturday."
Players to watch:
For Scotland: The return of loose forwards Simon Taylor and Alasdair Strokosch should be well received by the Aberdeen public, while captain Mike Blair will no doubt put in another consistent performance. The young midfield combo of Ben Cairns and Nick De Luca are growing in confidence, while prop Euan Murray puts on an enticing show of his own.
For Canada: Fullback James Pritchard has been impressive on this tour, while his presence at the back might hopefully inspire debutant Sean Duke. Ed Fairhurst will captain the side from scrumhalf, partnering exciting young No.10 Matt Evans who wins his first full start. The re-jigged front, which this week includes Scott Franklin at tighthead also have a busy day ahead.
Head to head: Rory Lamont's (Scotland) switch to fullback means he faces the Canadian standout, James Pritchard, while the 20-year-old Matt Evans (Canada) will need a dose of BMT against the more seasoned Scottish flyhalf, Phil Godman. Meanwhile, in the loose, Canada No.8 Aaron Carpenter will need to put in a massive performance to match the experience of Simon Taylor (Scotland).
Recent results:
1995: Scotland won 22-6, Edinburgh
2002: Canada won 26-23, Vancouver
Prediction: While Scotland coach Frank Hadden is certainly using this final autumn series fixture to test combinations ahead of the more venerated Six Nations championship, he will be as hungry for the win as the disgruntled Scottish public. The Canadians will be competitive, but there's not enough experience in this squad to match the Scots, especially in the pack which is certainly one of Scotland's strengths. And given the conditions, the Scots will no doubt keep it tight, and win by 15 or more points.
Teams:
Scotland: 15 Rory Lamont, 14 Simon Webster, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Nick De Luca, 11 Nikki Walker, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Mike Blair (captain), 8 Simon Taylor, 7 John Barclay, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Dougie Hall, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Matt Mustchin, 19 Scott Gray, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Dan Parks, 22 Max Evans.
Canada: 15 James Pritchard, 14 Sean Duke, 13 Ciaran Hearn, 12 Ryan Smith, 11 Justin Mensah-Coker, 10 Matt Evans, 9 Ed Fairhurst (captain), 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Adam Kleeberger, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Josh Jackson, 4 Tyler Hotson, 3 Scott Franklin, 2 Mike Pletch, 1 Kevin Tkachuk.
Replacements: 16 Frank Walsh, 17 Mike Burak, 18 Sean Michael Stephen, 19
Morgan Williams, 20 Nathan Hirayama, 21 Bryn Keys, 22 TBC.
Date: Saturday, November 22
Venue: Pittodrie, Aberdeen
Time: 14:30 (14:30 GMT)
Conditions: Light snow showers, a medium north-westerly wind and a maximum of 3 degees C.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Touch judges: Alan Lewis (Ireland), Steve Terheege (England)
TMO: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)
By Nick Pawson
With thanks to AFP
