THE selection of a scrum-half and a captain is normally a vital decision for any head coach to make. Get either of those pivotal positions wrong and your team is likely to struggle.
This week, however, Vern Cotter may not need to lose too much sleep over either. Scotland have been dealt a severe blow by the loss of Greig Laidlaw for the rest of the Six Nations Championship but, in the case of both the No 9 jersey and the captaincy, the squad still has real strength in depth.
The head coach must choose between Ali Price and Henry Pyrgos to take over as scrum-half from Laidlaw, and yesterday assistant coach Matt Taylor said he expected both to play significant roles in Saturday’s home match against Wales.
When it comes to choosing a captain, Cotter and his assistants may have an equally close call to make between John Barclay – who took over from Laidlaw when the latter was injured during the first half against France – and Jonny Gray. He succeeded Barclay when he was forced off after the break.
“Ali is a tremendously exciting player with ball in hand,” Taylor said yesterday when asked to compare Price and Pyrgos. “He’s got that turn of speed off the mark that really catches teams off guard.
“I look at the example of him igniting the Georgia game [in November] with that try late on. That’s a really good example of what he can do.
“Having been involved with Henry for a number of years at Glasgow and Scotland, I know that he’s a very good organiser who brings the rest of the group forward – and he’s a leader.
“So I would say they both have their certain strengths. We’re lucky to have both of them.
“There’s an excitement about the fact that we’ve got both to choose from, because they are both really good players.”
Pyrgos is joint-captain at Glasgow alongside Gray, but Taylor said that would not on its own tip the balance in Pyrgos’ favour against Price. “Look, he’s an exceptional leader,” said the assistant coach, whose side are expected to have both Sean Maitland and Mark Bennett available this weekend.
“But I think those two players will be picked on what we want to get out of the game, first and foremost, rather than Henry getting picked just because he’s one of the senior leaders at Glasgow and with Scotland. It will be about what we want to get out of that position in the game.
“They’ve both worked with Finn [Russell] often enough at Glasgow – and they’re both on the same wavelength as Finn. To have guys who work with our stand-off week in, week out, as well as playing club games with him – that has to be a bonus.”
Pyrgos is not long back from injury and, while match fit, has yet to hit top form. Price, by contrast, has been outstanding at times this season, notably in some of Glasgow’s Champions Cup pool games. But his naivety was exposed within minutes of his taking over from Laidlaw against France when he gave away a penalty with a needless push – an action which could just sway Cotter’s thinking in favour of his rival.
When it comes to the captaincy, meanwhile, Pyrgos has taken charge of Scotland before, so the most economical solution could be to start with him as scrum-half and skipper.
Ross Ford has also led the side, while there are others who are now seasoned internationals and could do the job well. But the pecking order in Paris suggested that the choice of captain will come down to Barclay or Gray.
“John probably speaks more than Jonny, although Jonny does speak more than you might expect,” Taylor said. “Jonny is more of a doing captain. Barclay is a doing captain but he probably talks more.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here