Vern Cotter will only judge Scotland after they play Ireland
Thursday 17 March 2016 16:34, UK
Scotland head coach Vern Cotter wants to see how his team perform against Ireland before assessing whether his squad have improved during this year’s Six Nations.
The Scots can jump to seventh in World Rugby's rankings if they can record their first hat-trick of consecutive victories in the championship since 1996 in Dublin this weekend.
They opened this year's tournament with close defeats to England and Wales but confidence has undoubtedly risen following back-to-back wins over Italy and France.
When asked to appraise his team's results, Cotter said: "I am probably more focused on the game itself than giving a global review on the whole thing.
"We want to put in a good performance this weekend and we're focusing on that.
"We're not thinking about the rankings either - just about the game. We haven't got much time to get ready and it will be what it will be after 80 minutes.
"We know it's not going to be easy but other people can talk about that at the minute. We're just concentrating on being good on the day, because being good on the day is what counts.
"It will be good fun to sit down afterwards and review everything."
The Scots have made three changes to the starting XV which beat Les Bleus last Sunday.
Fly-half Finn Russell is not risked while he recovers from concussion and is replaced by Glasgow colleague Duncan Weir.
Lock Jonny Gray is replaced by Tim Swinson after being ruled out with a pectoral tear, while Ryan Wilson comes into start at number eight in place of the benched Josh Strauss.
Peter Horne, who performed superbly as Russell's understudy after being thrown into the fray early, is again left among the replacements.
But Cotter is content with the men he has available.
He said: "Finn is still following his head injury protocol but Duncan has been training really well with the group and he's playing really well for Glasgow, so it's a great opportunity for him. He brings some energy and freshness to us.
"Duncan has got to change a few things. He's a great guy to work with - he's really open to ideas. He's got a good kicking game. He's been varying his passing game as well. It's exciting for him. Credit to his character - Finn's been starting in front of him, but he's kept working in the background.
"Peter played really well when he came on. It wasn't easy for him. He gets himself back on the bench and we're hoping he'll bring the same contribution whether it's 10, 12 or 13 during the game.
"Ryan probably has slightly fresher legs than Josh following the French game. We've had limited time to prepare, so we've gone for a bit of freshness over fatigue."
