PETER Wright, though third-choice loose head, can expect to remain in
Scotland's team for the Five Nations' Championship match against Wales
at Murrayfield a week on Saturday. Indeed, when the team is named this
morning it will surely be unchanged despite the 11-3 defeat by France at
Parc des Princes on Saturday.
Wright, well established as Boroughmuir's right prop, was drafted in
out of position at loose head against France in the absence of the two
Alans, Sharp and Watt. The former missed the Murrayfield match against
Ireland last month when he was found to have a hairline fracture of a
leg bone, and his stand-in, Watt, dropped out of Scotland's chosen Paris
team because of a viral condition that is still defying indentification.
Sharp said yesterday that his injured leg was improving, though not
fast enough for his liking. The Bristol prop added that he would
continue treatment on the London Scottish hyperbaric oxygen machine
whenever possible.
A definite prognosis of Watt's illness cannot be ascertained this
week. Donald Macleod, the Scottish Rugby Union's medical adviser, has
arranged for the Glasgow High/Kelvinside prop to see a specialist who
does not return from holiday until next week.
Derek Turnbull, the Hawick wing forward whose left pinkie was
dislocated in the Paris match, is expected to be fit to play against
Wales even though an X-ray has shown a crack in the injured finger. He
will miss Hawick's national league match against Boroughmuir at
Meggetland on Saturday to avoid aggravating the injury, but medical
opinion is that the finger will have settled by the end of next week.
Wright, who was capped as tight head in Scotland's two internationals
on the tour to Australia last year, did enough against France to justify
the selectors' faith in their decision to field him out of position.
Scotland's scrummage was secure almost throughout the match, and he did
the bits and pieces outside the set-piece as well.
If a change in the team is contemplated it would be to inject Gregor
Townsend's pace at outside centre, with Scott Hastings moving inside. It
was the format the selectors obviously had in mind until Townsend,
Gala's 19-year-olf stand-off, damaged knee ligaments in the Murrayfield
trial two weeks before the game against Ireland.
Scotland's midfield lacked bite against France. The fault, however,
was as much in Scotland's failure to win snappy second-phase ball in
regular enough quantity against typically mean French forwards.
I suspect, though, that the selectors will leave well alone. The
solution to the Paris problem would be better found on the training
field than in the selection committee room, with Ian McGeechan,
Scotland's coach, and his associates taking the responsibility to tune
the forwards' ball-winning as well as finding means to improve the
backs' ball-protection in the tackle. Scotland's midfield game in Paris
would have appeared more profitable but for three knock-ons, two by
Graham Shiel and one by the intruding Gavin Hastings, as they were hit.
Such small points meant much in a contest that was closer than the
margin of 11-3.
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