THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS
DAVID FERGUSON
WITH the Scotland squad now known, and minds focussing on the 2007 Rugby World Cup, one of the most intriguing dilemmas facing the coaching staff is how to approach the glamour pool match at Murrayfield with New Zealand on 23 September.

Frank Hadden, the national coach, let slip in the summer he is considering the possibility of resting leading players against All Blacks in order to save them for the final pool game against Italy - the one likely to determine qualification for the quarter-finals.

It was an unfortunate comment, provoking incredulity from fans who live for the day when Scotland defeat the greatest rugby nation in the world and no little concern among an SRU hierarchy as they struggle to convince supporters that the ludicrously expensive tickets for the showcase match - over 70 per cent of the seats are priced between £85 and £164 - are worth the money.

However, no person faces more pressure over the issue than Hadden - a proud Scot who would dearly love to be the first coach to lead his country to victory over the All Blacks, but is just as desperate to avoid being the first Scot to fail to reach the last eight of the World Cup.

He has sympathy from the squad's most experienced performer, Chris Paterson, the only player to feature in every minute of the 2003 tournament. The stand-off is desperate for a fifth crack at the All Blacks, but accepts some notable figures may be rested to avoid injuries a week before the crunch match with the Italians.

Paterson said: "It's a big decision, isn't it? Rugby players want to play every week, and be involved in every game, but we also have to look at what's best for the squad of 30 and for Scotland? Is playing in every minute of all four games, particularly the last three pool games in 12 days, going to be the best for the country? I don't know.

"Frank hasn't spoken with us about it, but I'm sure, as he always does, he has a plan - a strategy he will keep to himself which gives us the best chance to qualify for the quarter-finals.

"But I think that's where we will have to discipline ourselves to trust each other as players, and trust the coaching staff.

"It's almost like football now. It's maybe not quite squad rotation, but there's a lot of competition for places and, bearing in mind the physical intensity of the game now, the strength of the opposition, their depth and use of subs, you have to accept that one guy playing every minute of every game cannot possibly be as strong as two guys sharing the workload.

"So, it probably won't be possible to play in every game this time, but would I swap the New Zealand game for a quarter-final place? I can't answer that. I want to play in the quarter-finals - and try to push it further this time - but I also want to play against New Zealand.

"Even if you miss the All Blacks game, you still might not play in the quarter-finals. We have to beat Italy and, while I don't envisage an opening seven minutes like we had at Murrayfield again, everyone knows how tough they'll be."

There has been private concern among the Scotland management over the schedule handed to Scotland.

Italy, the pool's third seed, have nine days in France to prepare for the key Saint- Etienne clash while Scotland, who fly back from Murrayfield the day after facing New Zealand, have just four days before meeting the Azzurri. Sports medics believe international forwards now require ten days to fully recover from a Test match.

In fairness, the Italians have suffered from horrendous scheduling in the last two tournaments, but, particularly after the Six Nations defeat this year, it would have eased rising tensions in Caledonia had Italy's improved timetable not come at Scotland's expense.

Hoping there is little between players in the squad after the final warm-up match, against South Africa on 25 August, and opening pool games with Portugal and Romania, Hadden will probably mix and match with some first choices against New Zealand anyhow. But the fictitious second-string Scotland XV below outlines how strong the national team would be even if the coach were to leave out almost every player who started against Ireland.

Irrespective of his plans, the coach is unlikely to speak of a tactical selection again, for diplomatic reasons, but also to inspire all 30 players to believe they can be first choices. Having moved in from the back three to challenge Dan Parks for the no10 jersey, Paterson insists the players are certainly finding it increasingly hard to distinguish the coach's first picks from those who are destined to sit on the sidelines.

"Like everyone else, I was very nervous on Monday waiting for the squad," he said. "I really feel for the guys who have been left out. I'm lucky that this will be my third World Cup, and all of us selected owe it to the other guys, ourselves and the country to take this chance and make the most of this World Cup.

"We've now got one game we have to treat pretty much as a pool game really, against South Africa, to get everyone up to game speed.

"The quarter-finals are the aim, which I think is sensible for our world ranking, our playing numbers, our budget - it's probably hitting above all these things, but that's the expectation placed on us and we have to get there."

Possible tactical XV: H Southwell; S Lamont, M Di Rollo, R Dewey, N Walker; D Parks, C Cusiter; G Kerr, S Lawson, C Smith, J Hamilton, S MacLeod, D Callam, K Brown, J Barclay. Substitutes: F Thomson/R Ford, E Murray, N Hines, A Hogg/S Taylor, R Lawson, C Paterson, R Lamont.

SCOTLAND'S ALL BLACK HISTORY
1905: Scotland 7 New Zealand 12

1935: Scotland 8 New Zealand 18

1954: Scotland 0 New Zealand 3

1964: Scotland 0 New Zealand 0

1967: Scotland 3 New Zealand 14

1972: Scotland 9 New Zealand 14

1975: New Zealand 24 Scotland 0

1978: Scotland 9 New Zealand 18

1979: Scotland 6 New Zealand 20

1981: New Zealand 11 Scotland 4

New Zealand 40 Scotland 15

1983: Scotland 25 New Zealand 25

1987: New Zealand 30 Scotland 3

1990: New Zealand 31 Scotland 16

New Zealand 21 Scotland 18

1991: Scotland 6 New Zealand 13

1993: Scotland 15 New Zealand 51

1995: New Zealand 48 Scotland 30

1996: New Zealand 62 Scotland 31

New Zealand 36 Scotland 12

1999: Scotland 18 New Zealand 30

2000: New Zealand 69 Scotland 20

New Zealand 48 Scotland 14

2001: Scotland 6 New Zealand 37

2005: Scotland 10 New Zealand 29

This article was posted on 16-Aug-2007, 09:53 by Hugh Barrow.