Scotland more than five stones heavier across 10 changes to the side that beat USA with Matt Scott and Richie Vernon piling on the pounds in the midfieldScotland’s team selection against South Africa has met with a mixed reaction. Some perceive it as less than full strength,a concession that this game does not need to be won, nor that it can be. Then again, or possibly a mixed reaction is precisely what Vern Cotter is after – not least from the Springboks.
Closer examination reveals a trend to nearly all the changes – each represents a significant physical upgrade. Insofar as we can trust official stats,Fraser Brown is a couple of stones lighter than Ross Ford. Otherwise, Scotland own gone for titanic, and increasing their aggregate weight by five and a half stones across the 10 changes to the side that beat USA (and that includes the minus-two stone Brown yields to Ford). If Japan own shown there are other ways of taking on the Springboks,Scotland seem to be adhering to the more traditional theory that you need to meet them head on.
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Source: theguardian.com