Scotland will head into their final match of the mini-Autumn campaign with confidence.
Having just lost to Australia, and just beaten Argentina, they now face Georgia on Saturday at Rugby Park, in Kilmarnock.
Although it is thought of as the easiest fixture of the series, it might prove a lot tougher than they had hoped.
Georgia, or the Lelos as they’re nicknamed, have had a cracking 13 months. They won two of their games in the 2015 World Cup against Namibia and Tonga, and secured their place at the same 2019 event. They then went on to win the 2016 European Nations cup, once again securing their place as the seventh best team in Europe.
They then went on a tour of the Pacific Islands, coming away unbeaten in all three games. They currently sit above Italy in the World Rankings, in 12th place.
So, basically, it’s not going to be as easy as first anticipated.
Some may look at this as a test to try new things – although arguably Vern Cotter already did this against Australia and Argentina.
The Kiwi head coach only has six games left in charge of Scotland, but instead of going out on a bitter note – which he very well could – Cotter is blooding in the youth and giving some inexperienced players a chance to impress incoming coach Gregor Townsend.
So far this autumn we’ve seen the introductions of Allan Dell and Magnus Bradbury, as well as the re-introductions of Zander Fagerson, Alex Allan, Hamish Watson, and Huw Jones. The non-capped duo of Ali Price and Rory Hughes have also been on the bench.
Some have shone more than others, but none more so than Jones. The Edinburgh-born centre has had a phenomenal impact on Scotland’s back-line – which arguably didn’t need changing.
The Scots have a glut of international-class centres; Matt Scott, Alex Dunbar, Duncan Taylor, Mark Bennett, Peter Horne – and now, Huw Jones. The 22-year-old was inspirational in his performance against Australia. In a game that was not only his home debut, but against the third best team in the world, he scored two tries and pulled Scotland within inches of a historic result.
Hamish Watson has made two solid appearances in the back row. His frame is somewhat smaller in the back-row, possibly because of his gargantuan colleagues, but this in no way affects his ball-carrying skills or solidity in the tackle.
Magnus Bradbury was given a surprise start against Argentina and performed admirable for someone of such a young age. At 21, he has been on the scene for a while with Edinburgh, but his breakthrough into national team starter seems just around the corner.
Dell and Fagerson deputised for the injured Ali Dickinson and WP Nel in the front row. They also did well for being so inexperienced, and these two seem to be the duo that will replace the incumbent pair when the time comes.
So, who else should be given a chance against Georgia?
Well, I would like to see Mark Bennett get a go to reclaim his number 13 jersey back. For me, he is the best player we have in that position, and I think his ability to link with Finn Russell and Hogg can make him more dangerous.
Cornell du Preez and Nick Grigg have been training with the squad, although I don’t know if both have had enough of an impact this season to merit a place in the match-day squad.
I would like to see Jamie Ritchie and Blair Kinghorn called up. The duo have been consistently present for Edinburgh this season, and are clearly two stars of the future national team. A game without much significance such as this would be an excellent time to try them out, even if it’s just off the bench.
Featured image – Craig Marren on Flickr
