1) Scotland may just have uncovered a lasting centre partnership.
After almost a decade of stuttering, misfiring and uninspiring combinations in the 12 and 13 jerseys, it looks like the boys in blue may finally have got it right. Since the championship-winning days of John Leslie and Alan Tait, Scotland’s midfield has been blighted by a startling lack of talent and offensive threat. For every Tait or Leslie, there have three or four Marcus Di Rollos, Andrew Hendersons and Ben Hinshelwoods. In Matt Scott and Alex Dunbar however, the Scots have a nice blend of rugby intelligence, attacking prowess, and competent defence; with Scott arguably the standout performer of the tour. Both are still young and largely inexperienced at international level, but the signs are promising. With the likes of Nick De Luca, Ben Cairns and Graeme Morrison falling by the wayside (perhaps serving as a warning not to expect too much too soon from the youngsters), and Sean Lamont far more suited to a slot on the wing, these two look set to be given the opportunity to form an exciting duo at the heart of Scotland’s backline.
2) The “gallant losers” tag has yet to be shed
For an hour in Nelspruit, the injury-hit visitors had the Springboks worried. They led by 11 points, were hungry at the breakdown, and outscored their hosts by two tries to none. Once again though, early promise failed to deliver an end result. Second row Jim Hamilton was given an admittedly dubious yellow card, off the Scots’ van came the wheels, and on to the wall went the writing. That this performance, a thirteen-point defeat, was undoubtedly the most impressive of the three matches epitomises perfectly the problem the nation has faced for the past decade and beyond. So often the Scots have offered much fight, determination and promise, and so often the all-important victory has evaded them. Who can forget the dramatic collapse suffered by a Scotland team that should have recorded a comfortable success in Cardiff three years ago? That the tour ended with a win will be a morale-boost for the squad, but Scott Johnson must seek to instil in his charges the ruthless killer instinct required to compete with the best.
3) When inconsistency reigns, momentum stalls
Focusing on the team performances turned in against Samoa, South Africa and Italy respectively, Scotland failed to build or subsequently carry any momentum from one fixture to the next. Against the Samoans, an altogether lethargic ethos added to a disappointing display, and a result that saw the country drop in the IRB World Rankings. Perhaps the showing itself was partly excusable taking into account rustiness, missing players and a dramatic change in climate; nonetheless, a glaringly poor team attitude was not. Fast-forward a week to that barnstorming opening hour in Nelspruit, with a squad depleted further by injuries, and facing far stiffer opposition. The contrast with the previous match was stark, the inspired performance almost unrecognisable. In the final test, against the Italians in Pretoria, the Scots were once more below par – poor backline defence from Tommy Seymour and a scrum that was light on experience costing them two tries. Though a last-gasp converted score gave them a narrow victory, the squad and coaching staff openly acknowledged that the display was less than impressive. This all-round inconsistency is another frustrating tendency that has so dogged and hampered the progress of the national team for many a year. With every encouraging performance or heroic victory seems to follow several lacklustre and uninspiring defeats. Johnson has claimed he “does not want to be a team that has peaks and troughs”, but on a tour that brought to the fore several of Scottish rugby’s most deeply-ingrained faults, it appears there is much work still to be done.
4) The squad depth is encouraging
With an end-of-season tour featuring three of the most physical opponents in world rugby, there were always likely to be injuries. No-one, however, could have foreseen quite the extent of the Scots’ medical problems. With Stuart Hogg, Sean Maitland, Richie Gray and latterly Ryan Grant on Lions duty, the squad were already shorn of some of their big-name players. Subsequently, the touring party lost eight members, seven to injury. That Fraser Brown, a Glasgow Warriors hooker who had yet to start a professional game of rugby was wearing the number 2 jersey for the final match against the Italians shows just how short on numbers the Scots ultimately were. It was heartening to witness, however, the impressive performances put in by a number of the fringe players enjoying a run-out in the dark blue. Dunbar’s Glasgow teammate Tim Swinson fronted up superbly against the Springboks alongside full-back Peter Murchie. Prop Alasdair Dickinson was characteristically busy in the loose having not appeared for his country in two years, and there were also signs that David Denton, who burst onto the international scene in 2012, is beginning to get back to his best form having endured a torrid season at Edinburgh. With the emergence of such provincial players to the test match arena, and those currently on the treatment table having a long pre-season to recover, this year’s autumn tests look set to prove crucial in determining which names will be on Johnson’s team sheet in the 2014 Six Nations.
5) Try-scoring is improving
Perhaps owing to the more languid style of rugby played outwith the Six Nations, the Scots backline is now one that looks seriously capable of scoring tries. Although the fly-half position remains a problem, the new-found Scott-Dunbar centre pairing looks dangerous, and Tim Visser can be a devastating finisher when given even a little space. With real quality in the back three in the form of Sean Maitland and Stuart Hogg, more scoring opportunities should arise, and crucially, be capitalised on. This is a backline in the midst of a transformation from the turgid, more physical days of Frank Hadden and Andy Robinson where ball players were at a premium, to a direct and incisive group of youngsters. Time will tell whether they are capable of turning potential into results.