Scotland defence coach Graham Steadman has backed his side to take the promise shown against New Zealand and South Africa to the next level when they play Wales at Murrayfield tomorrow.
The autumn internationals saw Scotland compete well with the two southern hemisphere giants — even leading world champions the Springboks 10-0 at half-time — without possessing the firepower to convert that into victories.
Steadman claims this failing has been addressed and that his side are now ready to cause an upset in their Six Nations opener against last season’s Grand Slam champions.
“The signs were there in the autumn Tests that we have the creativity within our ranks to break defences down,” he said. “But we have let ourselves down with our failure to execute the final play, which would put the points on the scoreboard.
“That is something the players are fully aware of and it is something we have paid particular attention to during the build-up to this tournament, with a view to pushing through in support so that we are finishing off moves and not just sitting back and admiring the play which opened the door in the first place.
“The players themselves know that, at this level, you don’t get too many opportunities, so when you do get a chance, you have to make the most of it.
“That’s what Wales did tremendously well last season, and that’s why they won the Grand Slam.
“What we’ve got to do tomorrow is negate any threat Wales pose either collectively or individually.
“Because, if you give them time and space, they are the best offensive team in the northern hemisphere at the moment.
He added: “Things have gone to plan all this week; the mood in the camp is excellent.
“The last three days of last week leading into the first three days of this week were very intense.
“Because of the weather, we couldn’t train outside but certain venues were made available to us and we were able to do some top-quality work.
“We were able to be a bit more specific behind closed doors and using a nice quick surface, and that has certainly helped the players feel sharp in both mind and body.”
Steadman claims yesterday’s late change to the Wales team, which saw Tom Shanklin come in for the injured Gavin Henson, has played into his hands, despite being required to rethink Scotland’s defensive structure.
He said: “It has actually made the job quite a lot easier for me because the Shanklin and Jamie Roberts combination was what they used in the centre during their November Test series, so that was what I did most of my homework on in terms of analysis.
“I’m confident that our two centres — Ben Cairns and Graeme Morrison — know what their job is and I’m sure they’ll go out and do it to the best of their ability.
“With Shanklin, you have a bit more physicality and a bit more of an offload game, whereas Henson would have brought more of an offensive threat in terms of his kicking game, his creativity and his ball in hand.
“We’ve done our homework and the guys know that have to take responsibility in the next 24 hours just looking at the finer detail of their opposing players and what they are all about.
“We will leave no stone unturned.”
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