THE SCOTLAND side to face France on Saturday is a study in adventurous youth over proven conservatism. Frank Hadden, the Scotland coach, brings in three new backs with a total of 19 caps between them, while record points scorer Chris Paterson is once again left on the bench.
There were five changes in total from the side that went down weakly to Wales at Murrayfield. Max and Thom Evans will become the 20th set of brothers to play together for Scotland, with 25-year-old Max replacing Ben Cairns at outside-centre and his younger brother, Thom, coming in on the wing for Sean Lamont.
There were not even places on the substitutes’ bench for Cairns and Lamont, and blindside flanker Allister Hogg has been dropped from the 22, his place in the starting XV going to Alasdair Strokosch of Gloucester.
Strokosch’s club-mate, Alasdair Dickinson, comes in for the concussed Geoff Cross at tight-head prop.
Hadden’s second enforced change also related to a concussion – Ulster wing Simon Danielli taking over from Simon Webster who, like Cross, briefly lost consciousness during the 26-13 defeat to Wales.
Webster was taken off after 26 minutes on Sunday and despite making a significant impact, kicking two penalties and a conversion, his replacement, Paterson, again doesn’t start.
Aficionados of the attacking game should make a beeline for Stade de France on Saturday afternoon, as Hadden justified Paterson’s omission on the basis that Danielli and Evans offer more dynamism out wide, with the coach no doubt taking note of Ireland’s successful use of the running game against Mark Lievremont’s side at Croke Park.
“We’ve decided on balance that Simon and Thom would bring a cutting edge out wide and Paterson is more suited to being somewhere in the middle,” he said. “I think both these guys will ask real questions of the French defence on the outside.”
The coach suggested that some of the changes relate to a game-plan drawn up well before the Wales game. “We had done a little predicting for both games, as we saw them as completely different,” he said. “Last week we were planning for a rush defence and, without going into too much detail, this week is a different approach against a different defence.
“I was glad I was not able to announce the team yesterday, it gave me more time to calm down,” added Hadden of the 24-hour delay to allow for the assessment of injuries. “I’m sure Wales are a good team, but this team are capable of far better than they showed on Sunday.”
Scotland’s new backline will not be facing Florian Fritz. The French centre has been suspended for three weeks until Sunday, March 1st, for an incident arising out of last Saturday’s defeat to Ireland at Croke Park. The player was cited for alleged eye-gouging and appeared before an independent Six Nations disciplinary committee in a Heathrow hotel yesterday.
The committee, chaired by Roger Morris (Wales) and including Achille Reali (Italy) and Jeff Probyn (England), found the player had not deliberately made contact with the eyes or eye area of Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris.
However, the committee found Fritz guilty of the lesser offence of striking an opponent and imposed a suspension of three weeks.
He will miss the Six Nations ties against Scotland and Wales. Benoit Baby has been promoted from the bench with Maxime Mermoz joining the replacements.
- Guardian Service
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