Scotland will name a replacement captain for the injured Grant Gilchrist on a match-by-match basis for the viagogo Autumn Tests as head coach Vern Cotter admits he wants to see “who is going to be standing”.
Two of his leading captaincy candidates to replace Gilchrist, who suffered a fractured arm last Friday, took little or no part in the three-day camp that wound up on Wednesday at Royal Grammar School in Newcastle, the base next year for the Rugby World Cup when the Scots play South Africa and Samoa at nearby St James’ Park.
Chris Cusiter did not work in any of the sessions while Greig Laidlaw did some non-contact work, and Cotter cast serious doubt on either of the experienced scrum-halves making the first Autumn Test against Argentina a week on Saturday.
They and the remainder of the Exiles have been released back to their clubs the English Premiership players have LV Cup matches while the French Top 14 has a full round of matches before the Autumn Test break.
Such is the situation that although he has a number of candidates in mind to lead the team, Cotter and his backroom team will not make a choice of a replacement for long-term skipper Gilchrist until next week and then decide depending on who is available.
“The priority has been, genuinely, with looking at injuries, looking at how our team as they’ve turned up,” he said after the final session in Newcastle yesterday.
“Our medical staff have been really busy assessing what the players can do and what they can’t do, just trying to bring everybody together. There have been a couple of discussions on how we are going to present ourselves on the paddock and obviously the captain will be on there.”
For Cusiter and Laidlaw, options are limited, and Cotter hinted that might give a chance for Glasgow’s in-form Henry Pyrgos, who is also a captaincy option.
“Chris couldn’t train, Greig was on the paddock today but he wasn’t for the first couple of days, so we need to see who is going to be standing after this weekend, what team we can put out and who is best suited to lead it,” continued the coach.
“I doubt if Chris will play this weekend, it will be touch and go whether he trains with us on Monday and Tuesday. Greig, I don’t think so either.
“Touch wood we still have Henry, he’s one of three good nines with leadership qualities we have.
“We have emerging leaders within the group as well, someone like Rob Harley who is an interesting character, a leader and professional in what he does.”
These doubts, and the possibility of additional injuries in bruising games against the Pumas and All Blacks, make it possible they will be a different skipper for each match, he agreed.
“There will be huge attrition in those three games and we are in the process of looking at leaders and who can become captain,” he added. “We could have three different captains for the three games, depending on injuries.”
Cotter wouldn’t compare injuries on what he regarded as the more serious.
“I don’t want to be difficult but they are all important, whether they are head injuries or knee injuries,” he said. “There’s a lot of players not been able to take part these last three days.
“The ground shifts so quickly. We need to see Monday who we’ve got standing and who we are going to have for the game against Argentina. I think Argentina are probably the most improved team internationally.
“I don’t have a strategy yet because we don’t know how we’re going to have to play. But we’ll start with Argentina and see where we finish with Tonga.”
Cotter will send some domestic players back to Edinburgh and Glasgow for the weekend, saying that Tim Visser would probably be released to Edinburgh for their Guinness PRO12 match in Dublin against Leinster on Friday.
“There’s a couple of others who will filter back, but these are nervous times for coaches with so many games when the intensity is at such a high-level, like the European matches these last couple of weeks,” he added.
“We have a good relationship with both Edinburgh and Glasgow with regard to the players that are playing for them that we are interested in. It’s the Exiles we have a problem with.”
Nevertheless, the three-day camp was a vital exercise, he said.
“It’s just great to spend time together, go through certain content, even if you can’t do things at 100%,” he said. “You can always talk to the players and explain what you expect from them and that type of thing.
“It’s been a worthwhile exercise coming here to Newcastle with next year in mind, having a look at the facilities and checking out the hotel.”