Nick Cain: the Scots are no pushovers

Two months ago there was not a single scribe, broadcaster, or media pundit anywhere who predicted England would beat New Zealand. And with England and Scotland going through their final preparations for the Calcutta Cup opener to the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday, there are about as many predicting a Scottish win.
It is, after all, 30 years since the last Scottish victory at Twickenham. Not only that, but England come into the match buoyed by the confidence that they gave the world champions a hell of a beating, whereas Scotland have to recover from one hell of a beating at the hands of Tonga.
It is therefore understandable why the Scots are seen not so much as underdogs as a bunch of Jack Russells stuck in a huge subterranean rabbit warren. However, the doughty former Scotland and Lions coach, Jim Telfer, suggested to me this week that all was not lost for his countrymen.
“Scotland are not as bad as people make out, and England are not as good as people think they are. Scotland have mobility up front and ball winners, and they have finishers in Tim Visser and Sean Maitland. I don’t think they will make life easy for England.”
Telfer says that Scotland also have the makings of a good half-back partnership with Greig Laidlaw returning to scrum-half and the fast improving Ruaridh Jackson at No.10.
“Laidlaw is such a good footballer he can adapt to play scrum-half, and, while Jackson is not the complete article, he’s a confidence player, and will benefit if we can get on the front foot.”
Confidence is the key word for Scotland, and whether they can unearth some from their new start after the wreckage of their dire defeat by the Tongans at Pitodrie. The likely absence of Manu Tuilagi from the England line-up against them will be as good a filip as any, because his contribution to the victory over the All Blacks was immense.
The other area which Scotland know they can improve is defence, because they are a team with a habit of conceding too many soft tries.
Part of the reason for this is the failure of their forwards, especially those in the front five, to make their tackles. However, with the arrival of a hard taskmaster like Dean Ryan as forwards coach, and the advent of loosehead Ryan Grant as a potential forward talisman who will drive up standards in terms of work-rate and spirit, that could change quickly.
That Ryan already has something to work with up front is reflected in the fact that although Scotland lost 21-10 to South Africa  in the autumn – with the Springboks helped over the line by an intercept try — they dominated possession (63 per cent ) and territory (67 per cent) against a formidable pack.
On that basis, the idea that England will dominate up front and roll-over a big front five including Grant, Ross Ford, Euan Murray, Richie Gray and Al Kellock looks like wishful thinking. Add to that a back row which could include a re-charged Johnnie Beattie alongside Kelly Brown, and the Scots look well-equipped to win their fair share of ball, whether set-piece or in the loose.
A comparison of the respective backlines also hints at a stalemate, especially in the absence of England’s main attacking weapon, the Tuilagi broadsword.
Where England may have potential match-winners in Mike Brown and Chris Ashton, the Scots can counter that with the finishing power of Visser and Stuart Hogg.
The reality is that international rugby in the pro era is a game of fine margins, and what offsets Scotland’s fragile confidence is that they will have a mindset going into the match which will be similar to England’s before beating the All Blacks.
They have nothing to lose. The pressure and expectation is all one way.