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John Dalziel is adamant new recruit Johnny Matthews will prove a perfectly able deputy after Scotland\u2019s World Cup hooker curse continued with the departure of Stuart McInally from the squad.<\/p>\n
It was announced on Sunday night \u2013 after the bonus-point 45-17 win over Tonga in Nice \u2013 that the 33-year-old Edinburgh forward was heading home from the tournament with a neck problem less than a fortnight after being called up when Dave Cherry departed the camp due to a concussion sustained when falling on stairs at the team hotel.<\/p>\n
In addition to the travails of McInally and Cherry, Ewan Ashman was unable to be involved against South Africa after getting concussed in the build-up, while Fraser Brown \u2013 who was on the bench for four of the Six Nations games earlier this year \u2013 would almost certainly have come into contention if not for the ACL injury he suffered at the end of last season.<\/p>\n
First-choice George Turner is the only hooker who has stayed injury-free throughout the World Cup training camp and tournament itself, meaning coaches have had to draw on their depth of options for the specialised position.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen we were picking the hookers initially, there were a lot of names in consideration,\u201d said forwards coach Dalziel on Monday afternoon. \u201cWe were unlucky to lose Fraser Brown to injury prior to the tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve never really had a campaign where we don\u2019t use four hookers plus, it\u2019s a position that\u2019s right in the firing line, there\u2019s a lot of injuries that come with it because of the scrummage and set-piece requirements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been a bit of change there, with Rambo (McInally) disappointed to miss out (on the initial 33-man squad) and then he got a lifeline and thought it was going to happen for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe added a huge amount while he was with us but it\u2019s unfortunate that he\u2019s got to go home again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a bit of a merry-go-round for Rambo and we\u2019re disappointed to see him go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthews\u2019 only previous outing with the national team came for Scotland A against Chile in June 2022. The Liverpool-born 30-year-old \u2013 whose mother was born in Glasgow \u2013 would effectively have been sixth in the pecking order if all other options were fit.<\/p>\n
We all know the speed and physicality Johnny brings, it’s probably his point of difference<\/p>\n
But after flying in to join up with the squad in Nice over the weekend, he now finds himself up to third behind Turner and Ashman and in contention to win his first full cap in Saturday\u2019s World Cup pool match against Romania in Lille.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a huge opportunity for Johnny, who was another one in great form for Glasgow last season and was unfortunate to miss out on selection,\u201d said Dalziel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know the speed and physicality Johnny brings, it\u2019s probably his point of difference. Glasgow had an extended off-season but they were working hard away from it and they\u2019ve been back in for pre-season.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy all accounts, he\u2019s been training really well. As a hooker, a specialised position, he\u2019s always working on his craft anyway so he\u2019s arrived in good condition and he\u2019ll be a good addition to the group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dalziel also reported that Jamie Ritchie suffered no ill effects overnight following the dangerous high tackle he was on the receiving end of from Tonga wing Afusipa Taumoepeau.<\/p>\n
The Scotland captain was forced off in the first half off after taking a bang to the head and is now in his 12-day concussion stand-down period, meaning he will miss the Romania game and only be allowed to return to training on the eve of the potentially-critical match against Ireland in Paris on Saturday week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was pretty nasty in terms of the head collision but in terms of after that and post-game, he\u2019s been OK,\u201d said Dalziel. \u201cHe\u2019s not had any dramatic extra symptoms with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to take full care with anything to do with the head so he\u2019ll just be managed along with the protocols. He\u2019s up and about and his family are here so he\u2019ll get a day off to chill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dalziel was pleased to see the rest of the squad come through a bruising encounter intact.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a couple of sore bodies this morning, it was a pretty physical game \u2013 as we knew it would be \u2013 but it\u2019s miraculous how everybody rocks up and looks fine today and gets food into them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCredit to the conditioners as well, the boys were all in the pool nice and early doing their recovery. Apart from a couple of bumps and bruises, the majority of the group are OK and good to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s match was Scotland\u2019s first for a full fortnight after their opener against the Springboks and Dalziel was delighted to see them return to action with a seven-try victory to get their tournament up and running.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a really weird World Cup for us,\u201d he said. \u201cThat first week seemed very busy and hectic. We felt a huge part of it building up to the first game against South Africa and then there was a real lull after that.<\/p>\n
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\u201cTwo weeks of just training and having the appropriate time off so we didn\u2019t feel we were really part of the tournament, to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to sit on those bad memories (against South Africa) and you\u2019re just desperate to get back out there again so it was brilliant to get back out there and score some points and get that bonus point and get back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n