Scotland’s coaching staff and players remain upbeat, despite having a growing injury list heading into their final Six Nations match of the season.
Scotland, without a win and stuck at the bottom of the standings, host title-chasing Ireland in Edinburgh on Saturday.
Matt Scott (thigh), Jim Hamilton (back spasm), Tommy Seymour (elbow), Blair Cowan (calf) and Alasdair Dickinson (leg) all suffered injuries in the 13 / 25 loss to England Twickenham this past weekend – setbacks that put them on the doubtful list for the final match of the season.
Mark Bennett insisted Scottish team morale is not at rock-bottom, despite a fourth consecutive Six Nations defeat in the Calcutta Cup clash at the weekend.
Scotland pushed France and Wales in their opening defeats before surrendering to Italy in their last match at Murrayfield.
But their defeat to England showed encouraging signs, with Bennett’s well worked try the highlight of a 13th consecutive defeat at the home of their auld enemy.
“We are playing some exciting rugby and we are just two or three little things away from giving a team a hiding,” said Bennett.
“It will come and we need to keep refining what we are doing and focusing on the small details.
“It is hard to take but we know we are better than the results we have had. That is what is driving us on. We are in a far better place than we were at the start of the tournament. Results have not shown that but as a squad we have the confidence that it’s all going to come.”
Scotland had gone in 13 / 10 ahead at halftime thanks to Bennett’s try, no mean feat considering England should have been 3 tries clear within the first 10 minutes.
But the story of this match will be the chances not taken by both sides, a fact England could live to regret with the Championship likely to be decided by points difference next weekend, with matches in Rome, Edinburgh and Twickenham all decisive in the destination of the trophy.
“It was great work by the boys inside. We got so far over the gainline that if I hadn’t scored the boys inside could and should have been asking questions,” added the Glasgow Warriors centre.
“It was a huge performance compared to that against Italy. We were disappointed and angry by the way we played last time so to come out and front up like we did is great.”
The Scotland medical team will work hard this week to get the injured player back on the training field and hopefully fit for the visit by Ireland this coming Saturday.
Scott sustained a bang to his thigh, with the resulting ‘dead leg’ forcing him to be replaced by Greig Tonks after the interval.
Hamilton suffered a back spasm following a collision in the game and was replaced by Tim Swinson as a result.
Seymour strained his elbow after competing for the ball in the air and Cowan sustained a calf contusion in a separate incident, though both were able to finish the game.
Dickinson has a leg injury that will require further attention in the early part of the week.
A number of other players required the attention of the medical team for soft tissue complaints, but are not currently considered a cause for concern for the final Six Nations match.
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