SCOTLAND must take on Samoa at their own game on Saturday in order to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup, according to Kevin Bryce.
The Glasgow Warriors hooker is third in the pecking order for the No 2 jersey, but will be involved in the Pool B match at St James’ Park if Ross Ford fails a head injury test this week. Ford, the first choice ahead of Brown, failed the test after leaving the field during last weekend’s game against South Africa. Should he fail again, Fraser Brown will almost certainly start, with Bryce getting a place on the bench for Scotland’s biggest game in four years - just weeks after being called into the squad as a replacement for Stuart McInally.
Scotland’s backs will be expected to bring some finesse to bear in the match with the Pacific islanders, but as far as Bryce is concerned the battle begins up front against one of the most confrontational teams in world rugby. “I feel like if I get the nod I can bring that physicality and match what they bring - if not more,” said Bryce, whose brother Glenn is at present on the Warriors’ injury list after fracturing an ankle.
“I haven’t played against Samoans before, so I’d like to. You can’t be scared of anybody. You need to go for it. We need to match them in the scrums, or the driving mauls, the contact area at the rucks - we need to be on top. We need to dominate them.”
Any kind of win will take Scotland through to the last eight as pool runners-up if, as expected, South Africa beat the United States tonight. The pressure will therefore be on the Scots to perform, but Bryce believes the best way of preparing for the game is to carry on with the usual routine.
“It’s another game of rugby even though it could get us into the quarter-finals,” he continued. “At the end of the day it’s 15 guys on the park in your team and you just get on with it.
“You don’t think about it and make it bigger than it could be. My mindset is just to know my role amongst the team just in case, so if Ross struggles to make the team I’m ready to step in and do my part - and do it well.”
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