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HAVING come so close to beating both Wales and Australia in their opening two games, Scotland can be pleased to an extent with aspects of their performance in their first Rugby World Cup for a dozen years.
As they prepare for tomorrow’s final Pool A match against New Zealand, however, they know that decent displays, and narrow defeats, are no longer good enough. The two losing bonus points they picked up from their previous outings have done no more than keep them in contention, officially at least, for a place in the knockout stages. They now need a victory – ideally with five match points – in order to stay in the competition.
The odds are stacked against them. When the draw for the tournament was made, it was clear that Bryan Easson’s side had their most winnable match – against Wales – first up. A win there, it was hoped, would inspire the team to excel themselves against the more formidable Wallabies and get the result that would mean they had qualified before meeting the Black Ferns.
As that scenario has not materialised, Scotland now need to play by far the best rugby of their collective careers if they are to beat the hosts, who are second in the global rankings behind England and are also the current world champions.
New Zealand have left out their two most dangerous backs, Portia Woodman and Ruby Tui, who between them have been responsible for eight of their team’s 17 tries so far. With the teams who reach the final playing six games in as many weekends, it makes sense for the hosts to change things around for this game given they have already qualified for the quarter-finals as pool winners – and in any case their squad boasts an enviable strength in depth.
Easson is convinced that the depth in his own squad is greater than ever before, but it would also be fair to say that a number of senior players are very clear first choices for their positions. Hence the decision by the coach to make only one alteration to his starting line-up, and that a necessary one: Shona Campbell at full-back for the injured Chloe Rollie. He has freshened up the bench by restoring Louise McMillan to the squad and introducing three players who have yet to feature in the tournament – Meryl Smith, Liz Musgrove and Katie Dougan – but the overall message is one of confidence in the players who have taken the field thus far.
“When you look at our performances against Wales and Australia, the players who started have really put their hands up and shown how well they can play on a world stage,” Easson said. “We’ve got two losing bonus points but we could be sitting pretty with two wins as well – we’ve been that close.
“So you do have to look at that and say same again. This team have done really well in the two games here: let’s put this team out and have a real good go at the Black Ferns.
“We’re confident in our performances. There are some really good players in there who are ready to start again.
“We’ve got a lot of trust in all the players we have here, but it’s all about the flow of the game. And that’s why we’ve made some changes, because of how we think the game will be – it’s not just a case of putting the same eight on the bench.”
Scotland’s primary strength so far has been defence: captain Rachel Malcolm’s tackle count of 44 is higher than anyone else’s in the competition, while lock Sarah Bonner leads the turnover stats with six. But Malcolm herself is well aware that those defensive virtues have been outweighed by the inability to convert more chances.
“That’s the frustration we’ve had as a team,” she said. “We know we’ve created chances – we’ve just not quite finished them off.
“Obviously it’s heartbreaking, but we’ve come away with two bonus points, we’ve kept ourselves in the fight and we’ve got to be proud of that. We’ve got one last roll of the dice and we’ll give it everything that we’ve got.”
Scotland (v New Zealand at Northland Events Centre, Whangarei, Saturday 4.45am UK time): Shona Campbell; Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Hannah Smith; Helen Nelson, Caity Mattinson; Molly Wright, Lana Skeldon, Christine Belisle, Emma Wassell, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (captain), Rachel McLachlan, Jade Konkel-Roberts. Substitutes: Jodie Rettie, Leah Bartlett, Katie Dougan, Lyndsay O’Donnell, Louise McMillan, Mairi McDonald, Meryl Smith, Liz Musgrove.
New Zealand: Renee Holmes; Renee Wickliffe, Amy du Plessis, Theresa Fitzpatrick, Ayesha Leti-I’iga; Hazel Tubic, Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu (captain); Pip Love, Georgia Ponsonby, Amy Rule, Joanah Ngan-Woo, Maiakawanakaulani Roos, Alana Bremner, Sarah Hirini, Liana Mikaele-Tu’u. Substitutes: Natalie Delamare, Krystal Murray, Tanya Kalounivale, Chelsea Bremner, Kendra Reynolds, Kendra Cocksedge, Sylvia Brunt, Ruahei Demant.
Referee: Aurelie Groizeleau (France)
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