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Six Nations: Scots look to reduce error count

Andy Robinson takes Scotland training
Robinson must find a way to end Scotland's run of two defeats

Scotland think they can turn crushing defeat into victory over Ireland by cutting out their errors.

Analyst Gavin Scott has looked at re-runs of the 24-6 defeat by Wales and advised coach Andy Robinson.

"We need to be a low error and a low penalty team to compete with the teams we play against," Scott explained to BBC Scotland ahead of Sunday's game.

"It is within us to sort those things out and that is what we need to do for the rest of the tournament."

Scott is the man who supplies Robinson with detailed video analysis and he has pinpointed one major flaw in the defeat by a Welsh side who arrived at Murrayfield on the back of a defeat of their own.

"Everyone would admit that it was the amount of times we lost ball when it was within us to keep the ball," he said.

Everybody was hurting after the display against Wales

Scotland head coach Andy Robinson

"It was unforced errors. We lost the ball more than twice the amount of times that they did and particularly when we were in attacking positions in their half.

"The good thing there is that that's within our control and it something we need to sort out for next week."

It appears that the Scots will be concentrating on retaining possession against the Irish at Murrayfield.

"Cutting out our errors is the big thing and the rest of the things we would be concentrating on anyway, like set-piece work," said Scott.

"Getting ourselves into a better shape so that, when we get into other teams' 22 or into their half, we have the opportunity to keep the ball long enough to score.

"If you saw last week, I think Ireland had the ball for over 20 phases inside France's half, or inside France's 22, and we need to be able to keep the ball for that amount of time if we are going to be able to put sides under enough pressure to take points off them."

Robinson said that, regardless of tactics, Scotland's players were determined to put the defeat against Wales behind them.

"Everybody was hurting after the display against Wales," he said.

"But we must now focus on the challenge that Ireland bring and there's absolute determination to bounce back against them at Murrayfield on Sunday."



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see also
Parks dropped from Scotland squad
23 Feb 11 |  Scottish
Stringer added to Ireland squad
22 Feb 11 |  Irish
Ferris ruled out of Scotland game
18 Feb 11 |  Ulster
Hastings expects Scotland revival
14 Feb 11 |  Scottish
Angry Lamont slams Scots players
14 Feb 11 |  Scottish
Ireland 22-25 France
13 Feb 11 |  Rugby Union
Robinson rues Scottish mistakes
12 Feb 11 |  Scottish
Scotland 6-24 Wales
12 Feb 11 |  Rugby Union


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