Scotland have dropped their captain, Al Kellock, for Sunday’s vital pool match against Argentina, preferring instead to go for a mixture of second-row athleticism and scrummaging power to confront the Pumas’ strong pack.
The coach Andy Robinson, in the most important game of his four years in charge, has paired the 6ft 9in Richie Gray with the near 20st of Jim Hamilton at second row in a side which has five changes from the starting XV which beat Georgia in Invercargill last week.
Win on Sunday and it will be the first time since the 1990 grand slam season that Scotland have won six games in a row. It is also likely to mean that they would meet the All Blacks in the quarter-finals – subject to France not causing an upset at the weekend.
Robinson prefers the “running option” of Ruaridh Jackson at fly-half, relegating Dan Parks to the bench, and, instead of Kellock, the team will be lead by Rory Lawson, the Gloucester scrum-half who has the enviable history of four wins from four starts as captain. “I have picked a team to beat Argentina,” said Robinson. “The selection is simply about this match. To be fair to Al, as always he has taken it very well. He’s an outstanding character. For us going into this game we have to be able to play with ball in hand, but we also have to be able to move Argentina around. It’s important that we don’t just get into a kicking game.”
Scotland have met Argentina five times since the last World Cup, winning three. Robinson said: “Argentina have demonstrated already in the past two months they are a better team than we faced on their soil last year.” Then, Scotland won two Tests and became one of the few sides to win a series on Argentinian soil.
Robinson’s other changes include a recall for Scotland’s most-capped player, Chris Paterson, at full-back, with the prop Geoff Cross replacing Euan Murray, who will not play on Sundays, and the openside flanker John Barclay edging out Ross Rennie. Robinson is sure Felipe Contepomi will play, even though the Argentina captain is less than certain about making his 73th appearance for his country.
Scotland: Paterson (Edinburgh); Evans (Castres), De Luca (Edinburgh), Morrison (Glasgow), Lamont (Scarlets); Jackson (Glasgow), Lawson (capt, Gloucester); Jacobsen, Ford, Cross (all Edinburgh), Gray (Glasgow), Hamilton, Strokosch (both Gloucester), Barclay (Glasgow), Brown (Saracens).
Replacements: Hall (Glasgow), Dickinson (Sale), Hines (Clermont), Vernon (Sale), Blair (Edinburgh), Parks (Cardiff Blues), Danielli (Ulster).
