Evening Express

c ————'—— BRIGHT CHANCE FOR WALES The Captain and Team Confident SCOTTISH SKIPPER'S CANDID OPINION [By II FORWARD."] EDINBURGH, Friday Evening. Nothing has happened since the Interna- tional Board meeting in the early part of the day to excite interest among the small group of Welshmen who are gathered together in the classic capital of the North. The players turned out for their customary practice on the Watsonians' ground th'.s afternoon, and it gladdened one's heart to see every man in such perfect fettle. The Swansea system of playing the forwards against the backs was adopted, and the half- an-hour's cantering had the desired effect of shaking off the weariness and lassitude caused by yesterday's loiigojourney. Never on the eve of an international match in Scotland have I seen a Welsh team so quietly confident of success as they are this time, and, on the other hand, I have never known the Scotsmen in such pessimistic mood. From the Cymric standpoint there is only one source of apprehension, and that is in regard to the strength and ability of the Welsh forwards to hold their own sufficiently well to give their backs the opportunities of proving once again their superiority in the twin arts of fln-esse and combination. This feeling was epitomised in a phrase by the philosophic Dicky Owen in a chat I had with him a few minutes ago. If our forwards can get the ball we shall get home all right," he said. That, after all, is the key-note of all anticipatory speculation. The Scotsmen make no secret of their pride in their pack, and that they are dependent upon the forwards to carry them through what they rightly believe will be a grand struggle, which is likely to be notable for contrast in styles. Candid Scottish Captain J. M. B. Scott, the Scottish captain, was perfectly candid in expressing his opinion that he believed Wales would win, unless the Welsh forwards were so badly beaten that they could not give the backs the neceesary scoring chances. Taking the Welsh forwards man for man, I cannot imagine such a thing happening, especially if every man in the eight does his honest share of work in the scrum. There i.6 no reason for suspecting that there will be a single passenger, and in to-day's practice nothing was more satis- factory than to see the one forward whose liking for work has been open to question giving conclusive proof that he is in better form than ever, and determined to redeem what reputation he has lost ae a acrim- mager. It is only natural that Owen and Jones, as a result of their temporary deposi- tion, should feel keener than ever upon re- habilitating themselves in the good graces of the Welsh Union selectors and the Welsh public. It would not be surprising to see them playing one of their finest games to-morrow, and any regret that may be felt over the absence of Bush is tinged with the, satisfaction thbt the famous Swansea pair will be on their mettle. On this occasion their presence in the team will also have a distinct tendency to strengthen the combination between the front and rear divisions. It is well to know that Willie Trew, their club- Dlate, will not only theskipper of the team, but the master mind of the third line. Confident Willie Trew When I asked Trew just now for his forecast he smilingly said, "You know I never say any- thing," a.nd in the next breath he said some- thing. "I don't think we have had such a good chance of winning up here for years," he said, "I don't see where the greatness of the Scottish side comes in, unless their for- wards turn out to be a surprise-packet. All I Want our forwards to do is to give us the ball, and if they can do only that all will be well." Now, for a man who had nothing to say that is rather encourag- ing. There are only seven of this year's Scottish team who played against Wales at Swansea a year ago, and four out of the seven are forwards. The four are Scott, Gowland, Frew, and M'Callum, and Scotland's regret is that a fine leader like Geddes has dropped out of the ranks. Who ca.n forget the great game he played at Swansea, and how near he came to winning the match for his country by the last desperate effort he made in the closing stages of that thrilling struggle? Ilenna-nt, the Scottish inside half, has never played in an international match before, and he must needs be a genius if he can show the capacity of coping with such an old campaigner and wily strategist as Dicky ell. Tennant is not considered to be more than an ordi- nary performer by his compatriots, while Cunningham, the outside half, is very much in the same category. Of the three- quarterc, Martin is the only man who has previously played against Wales, and that was at Swansea. One of the incidents of that match -which live in one's memory is the golden opportunity of winnang the match thrown away by this speedy youth in the last quarter of an hour. He had only to run straight for the line to make a try and a victory for Scotland a certainty, but he betrayed a faint heart by kicking aim- lessly. Scottish Three-quarter "Star" Now that M'Leod has retired from the game, Angus is considered to be the star artiste of the Scottish three-quarter line. He played for the Watsonians against Swan- sea six or seven weeks ago, and his play gave me the imprests ion that he was crocked," and that his form was nothing like what it was two years ago. He may have recovered since Christma-s,tid, and there is no knowing but that we shall see him at his best to-morrow. Still, that best" will have to be wonderfully good even to approach the brilliant M'Leod, who is worthy, in my opinion, of being bracketed with Teddy Morgan as the finest wing of modern times. Gilray, who will partner Angus in the centre, is more of the useful than the brilliant type of three- quarter. Dr. Simson, who plays on the left wing, combines pluck with exceptional speed, so that ta.ken as a quartette the Scottish three-quarters are well up to the average, and in the matter of pace will be the masters of the Welsh threes Schulae, the Scottish full-back, is a tried man who can always be relied upon, and between him and Jack Bancroft there is "much of a muchness," both in style and character of play. One could go on speculating and making comparisons for hours, but the haunting feeling all the time is that one must fall back upon first principles, and balance every prospect on the relative strength and skill of the two packs of forwards. Upon them -will everything depend, and, for my own part, I feel confident that the Welsh eight will not fail their country this time, and that Wales will win.