Wales start their Six Nations campaign on Saturday and Robin Davey wants them to select grinder mode when they take on Scotland. The Scots have many new virtues, but front five power and heavy duty stuff are not yet among them.
One of the biggest catchphrases of the Six Nations Championship is always, “win your first game to achieve early momentum” – particularly when there’s an imbalance of fixtures, meaning some teams have three home games while others get just two.
Never do these words apply more appropriately than to Wales on Saturday when it really is vital they get off to a winning start by beating Scotland at the Principality Stadium.
For Wales’ next two games are arguably the toughest they will face in this year’s tournament, against England and Ireland – and both are away.
Even the most optimistic supporter would recognise Wales will do really well to get a result against either team.
They are the favoured pair for this year’s Six Nations title, England despite their mounting injury problems because they have so much more depth than the rest, while the Irish have a settled unit used to success.
So, it’s crucial Wales get the better of Scotland first up in order to gain some of that early momentum, not to mention confidence, ahead of those visits to Twickenham and Dublin.
Wales go in with the knowledge they haven’t lost to the Scots in Cardiff since 2002, which, in itself, could provide a kind of comfort zone, though they also have huge injury problems. In all, they are missing as many as seven Lions through injury, an horrendous statistic by any standards.
Yet, Scotland are on a roll after years in the doldrums, starting a mini-revival under previous coach Vern Cotter and continuing it in some style under successor Gregor Townsend.
The Scots enjoyed a successful autumn campaign, beating Samoa and going mighty close against world champions New Zealand before going down narrowly 22-17. They topped that off with a brilliant record-breaking 53-24 victory over Australia.
To score over 50 points against the Wallabies was a magnificent achievement, based on the type of running rugby Townsend had injected into the successful Glasgow side.
And ahead of the Wales game, Townsend has left no-one in any doubt about his attacking intentions, saying, “We will play with the intensity and speed required to win in Cardiff.”
So he has well and truly thrown the gauntlet down to Wales, and he will back that up by parading runners of the calibre of in-form Stuart Hogg, Huw Jones, Finn Russell and Tommy Seymour – arguably the most dangerous group in the Six Nations.
Scotland do, however, possess an Achilles heel up front where they are without six front row forwards and influential lock Richie Gray.
Former Scotland and Lions coach Jim Telfer reckons their deputies will be up to the task and won’t let the side down, but that could be more kidology from the gnarled Scot who loves nothing better than stirring things up.
So, though Wales possess some thrust themselves, with a lot expected from Rhys Patchell, who has been in great form for the Scarlets, plus Worcester flier Josh Adams and fellow winger Steff Evans, reunited after being teammates at school.
But it would be folly to take on the Scots at the type of game they are so good at. Instead, better to employ an accurate kicking game, turn Hogg and make sure he has little opportunity to launch his famous counter-attacks, while at the same time taking them on up front.
Coach Warren Gatland has unsurprisingly gone with ten members of the Scarlets team after their impressive efforts in Europe, the most from any region since his first year in charge when he picked 13 Ospreys in the side which beat England at Twickenham in 2008.
That alone will instil confidence into the Welsh team, though they will surely not play into Scotland’s hands and instead try to batter them up front.
Wales will have a settled front row, Alun Wyn Jones is ageless, and Cory Hill has earned praise from Gatland this week.
So, on the basis of horses for courses, surely Wales have to negate Scotland’s expected tactics, force them on to the back foot and commit them to a grinding forward battle as much as they can.
Do that and victory could be theirs before they march on to Twickenham and Dublin.
