EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS
Rugby: Beattie calls for team shake-up




By Bill Lothian
According to Beattie, while not implicitly mentioning existing stand off Phil Godman, the axe should fall on Edinburgh's Ben Cairns and Ally Hogg as well as Jason White.

FORMER Scotland and Lions forward John Beattie has called for heads to roll as coach Frank Hadden prepares to name a team to face France in Paris on Saturday.

And first to benefit from a shake-up, according to a player who won 25 caps in the back ADVERTISEMENTrow between 1980 and 1987, should be Chris Paterson with a re-drafting to stand off after making most of his 91 appearances on the wing or at full back.

Advocating drastic surgery to the team which lost 13-26 to Wales on Sunday, Beattie also wants starts for Glasgow brothers Max (centre) and Thom (wing) Evans as well as Gloucester flanker Ally Strokosch and Glasgow second row Ally Kellock.

"Ben Cairns should lose his place," says Beattie. Beattie says of the Welsh debacle: "They got the selection wrong.

"If you don't pick Thom and Max Evans you are not picking he best players.

"Wales had a very simple game plan; Scotland did not look as if they were co-ordinated.

"They bettered us in the basics of scrums, line-outs and physicality in contact.

"They were much better than us in those aspects.

"Now is the time to experiment (and) I've always said Chris Paterson should be a stand off. He could be brilliant."

Beattie has also set target for coach Frank Hadden otherwise the coach should go.

"I personally think Frank Hadden is no mug. The players have to look at themselves and ask why it happened.

"(But) if the team does not win two games in this Six Nations he will go and remember Scotland has only won one game in each of the last two Six Nations

Referring to potential call ups, Beattie, while making allowance in Scotland's display for the injury enforced absences of top performers Euan Murray and Nathan Hines, told the BBC:

"Ally Strokosch is one of the tough nuts in English rugby ... and hopefully Geoff Cross (Murray's replacement who was stretched off with a head knock) will be back at tight head."

This article was posted on 10-Feb-2009, 13:06 by Hugh Barrow.