White wary of Pumas pack

  • The Guardian,

In the 17 Tests Scotland have played since the 2003 World Cup they have won only four times. Those victories came against Italy, Japan, Romania and Samoa, so this evening's fixture against Argentina is being viewed with a mixture of high hopes and modest expectations.

The Pumas are placed eighth, one notch above Scotland, in the IRB's world rankings and their record against Scotland is almost perfect: four wins in five attempts, with the only defeat coming back in 1990 to the grand slam side.

This match marks a Murrayfield debut for the coach Frank Hadden, who was given the post on a long-term basis after a successful summer. Hadden has selected Jason White as captain, who as the pack leader at table-topping Sale plays alongside Argentina's lock forward Ignacio "Nacho" Fernández Lobbe week after week. So the Scottish captain has first-hand experience of what to expect at the 5.30pm kick-off this evening: "I know from Nacho, from the way he plays and trains, and watching the videos of their games that they are very combative and they have a great ability to stay on their feet. It's going to be hard in the forwards.

"You obviously need to front up in the physical challenges but we don't want to have the Scotland eight taking on the Argentinian eight for 80 minutes. As much as I'd back the other Scotland forwards to the hilt, that's [the Pumas'] strength and it wouldn't be the wisest thing to take them on at that for the whole game."

Scotland: Paterson (Edinburgh); Lamont (Glasgow), Di Rollo (Edinburgh), Henderson (Glasgow), Lamont (N'hampton); Parks (Glasgow), Blair (Edinburgh); Kerr (Leeds), Hall (Edinburgh), Douglas (Borders), Hamilton (Glasgow), Murray (Edinburgh), White (Sale, capt), Hogg (Edinburgh), Taylor (Edinburgh)

Argentina: Hernández (Stade); Aramburu (Biarritz), M Contepomi (Bristol), M Contepomi (Leinster), Leonelli (Edinburgh); Todeschini (Béziers), Pichot (Stade, capt); Roncero (Stade), Ledesma (M'ferrand), Hasan (Toulouse), I Fernández Lobbe (Sale), Bouza (Harlequins), Durand (M'pellier), Schusterman (Ply A), J Fernández Lobbe (Liceo Naval)

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