We go into the final weekend of Autumn internationals, however two of the "home nations" have already completed their November campaigns. It was the first set of autumn games for Cotter (Scotland) and Schmidt's (Ireland) second and it is safe to say both have had a very noticeable impact on the fortunes of their respective teams. Looking at the world rankings alone tells you the difference for these two teams, Scotland have held their position in the rankings and closed the gap on those above them, meanwhile Ireland have leapfrogged England and stormed into the coveted top three.
While Ireland's rise to greatness has perhaps been the most well documented Scotland deserved real credit. Vern Cotter after having a summer to experiment with essentially two groups of players, he faced his first match at Murrayfield against a confident Argentina team who had recorded their first win in the Rugby Championship just weeks before. Going into the series it looked like the closest game of the three, and would probably be the match upon which the autumn would be judged upon. As it turned out a Glasgow influenced team took the game to the Puma's incredibly quickly, even after an opening set back the team rallied and scored a myriad of superb tries. Most came from captain and scrum-half Laidlaw acting quickly, it seems that Cotter has given his players the right to play what was in front of them. Gone were the days that Scotland relied on penalties and drop goals to score all their points, instead the ball is put in the hands of the electric Stuart Hogg and lethal finishers Maitland and Seymour, crucially in space to try and crack open the opponents and score some tries.
What can't be ignored is the work the forwards are doing now, providing the lively and intelligent half-backs (Laidlaw and Russell) with quick ball on the front foot. A back row which is carrying extremely hard, directly at the opposition, along with serious hard grafting locks in the Gray brothers has changed the outlook of the Scottish threat. A lot of attention has been placed on the brand new pitch installed at Murrayfield, after the fiasco that was the 6 Nations, and its affect has been noticed. The pitch is a lot firmer allowing the quick players to actually use their speed, but it also allows the breakdown to avoid being bogged down allowing the more exciting breed of rugby to be used. Although the real test was to come, with New Zealand coming North, and while they came with a second string team New Zealand are New Zealand. The Cotter system worked equally well against the world's best, the strong forward carrying took a serious toll on an uncharacteristically imprecise All Blacks side. In the end replacements rescued the number one side. In the end it was a loss, which was always expected but it was the style by which they went down which showed the progress being made.
All of this culminated in a third and final game against Tonga, a team which they famously lost to two years ago. There were wrongs to right, and after a tight first half Scotland looked to be struggling to break down the islanders. However the free flowing attack returned in the second half and they crossed the white wash multiple times to complete their Autumn on a serious high. Overall Scotland won two games out of three which was the best they realistically could have hoped for, but the manner in which they won them is worth much more than the wins themselves. Looking ahead to the World Cup, they stand a serious chance of progressing to the knockout rounds with only Samoa to over come for a second place in the pools. If the progress continues South Africa could be for the taking too.
So we have a new number three team in the world. Ireland sit at the top of the Northern Hemisphere game having claimed not one, but two SANZAR scalps in November. We had seen the beginnings of this Ireland team at the end of last years Autumn Internationals, when the men in green came agonisingly close to beating New Zealand, and when they won the 6 Nations earlier this year to send of the legendary Brian O'Driscoll. However the form we have seen now is another step up, it is totally different from previous tests. Joe Schmidt takes a very different approach to coaching from practically everyone else in the game, he is a tactical mastermind that is capable of pinpointing an oppositions true weakness and instructing his players precisely how to exploit it. It's rare that a coach spends extensive effort focusing on each individual players role on the field at specific moments in the match, but it seems it is a system that the Irish players are taking on exclusively. None more than Jonathan Sexton, the fly-half has an unparalleled ability to run a game plan to the letter with almost perfect execution. He is able to play the territory game expertly, bring his backs into the game at the perfect moment, utilise his forwards when it's not on out wide, not to mention he has a knack for scoring tries himself by attacking the line. If he's not the best fly-half in the world, then he is certainly the best in the Northern Hemisphere.
Ireland's success however is not purely down to one coach and his playmaker, the work of the forwards this autumn has been superb. Paul O'Connell has been superhuman against everyone he's come across, rampaging across the pitch, tireless in defence. Meanwhile Peter O'Mahony has been his usual destructive self at the breakdown, and the lineout has operated at expert efficiency. The moment of the series for the pack must have been against the marauding South African, where they circumvented African muscle with Irish intelligence. Executing the fade away at the driving maul allowing them to sack it before it can move, perfect combination of Schmidt's analysis and hard effort in training. This sincere symbiosis between staff and players is the foundation upon which Ireland will mount a challenge for the World Cup, if there is anything for them to work on it would be to potentially fill the missing creative void left by Brian O'Driscoll. The threat on the wings is well documented with Tommy Bowe and Simon Zebo lethal finishers, but with the precise layout of the game set out is there enough head's up rugby to be played and an intelligent enough centre partnership to unleash the dangerous wide men?
Predicted 6 Nations Finishes
Ireland: 1st
Scotland: 4th
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