France Preview: No matter how great the ructions in Scottish rugby Matt Williams knows if he has not improved the nation's fortunes by mid-March there will be someone left at Murrayfield to hand him his P45.
The Scottish coach and his team flew into Paris yesterday with the daunting task of having the first crack at the current Six Nations champions, whose own coach Bernard Laporte has been the subject of criticism but whose position is bomb proof when compared to that of the Australian's.
Williams has been in charge of Scotland for a year, during which time they have played 12 matches and lost 10, conceding 302 points in the process. Of the 260 points scored, 100 were against an extraordinarily poor Japan side and the only other victory was over a weakened Samoan side in Wellington.
In the championship they went down 20-14 in Rome and conceded 31 points to France in Edinburgh while remaining scoreless on their own turf for the first time since 1978. Yet it was probably their last game of the year that hurt Williams the most.
Against a tired and dispirited South Africa, who had lost to both England and Ireland, Scotland's hopes were high. Instead they were drubbed 45-10 and "the whole world has written us off for today's game", according to Williams.
Oddly, however, Williams has turned to one of the culprits that day in the hope of finding a cutting edge for Stade de France. Hugo Southwell, full back against the Springboks and sometime wing, has been moved to inside centre - a position he has only occasionally occupied with Edinburgh.
Williams says he is not gambling, has been considering the switch for some time and persuaded the Edinburgh coach, Frank Hadden, to help out. "I just said to Frank to play him there when the opportunity arose and I am grateful."
Southwell is convinced he is up to the job and keen to erase November memories. "This is a great opportunity to prove that was a one-off," he said. "It was totally out of character - just one of those games."
Williams says he has been particularly impressed by Southwell's ball-handling skills and his ability to kick off the left foot. However, he is also clearly interested in the London-born 24-year-old for his defensive skills in an area where, since the arrival of Dan Parks at outhalf, Scotland have been occasionally shaky.
Parks's form for Glasgow has dipped and his inclusion for a 12th cap ahead of Leeds outhalf, Gordon Ross, must have been a close call. However, since telling Gregor Townsend he was not required and then taking Chris Paterson out of the number 10 shirt, Williams has invested a lot of his own credibility in his fellow Australian.
The other question mark over Scotland's midfield is the pairing of Andy Craig with Southwell. The 28-year-old former rugby league player is a noted defender, but a chronic knee injury has reduced his pace.
Laporte also has his problems, particularly the falling off in form and injuries in the back row, but since his job is safe at least until the 2007 World Cup in France - and he has a €25 million budget to get him there - he can afford to ignore critics like Pierre Berbizier, who believes Les Bleus "are now plunged into the depths of doubt and uncertainty. "This current team have come to the end of the line and that it is time to inject new players, form a new group and look to the future," said Berbizier.
What he probably did not envisage was a call up for the veterans Pierre Mignoni (27), and Yann Delaigue (31), as Laporte's 23rd halfback pairing in 60 games.
There was a feeling in the French camp this week that the pairing was a one-off for a game France should win with something to spare and that they would not be together at Twickenham in eight days. Frederic Michalak, the darling of French rugby this time last year, is on the bench and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, a star of 2004, is back home in Toulouse doing penance for not working hard enough in the gym or in training.
