Scottish hooker Ford facing battle on two fronts

SCOTLAND hooker Ross Ford believes his team’s narrow victory over Italy in the Pool C eliminator is the “ideal warm-up” for Sunday’s quarter-final against Argentina.

The Azzurri and the Pumas have risen to rugby’s top table in recent years on the back of their powerful packs.

The Scots just about managed to nullify the threat of the Italian forwards in last Saturday’s 18-16 victory in St Etienne but they will be faced with just as severe a test eight days on, when they come up against Argentina’s scrum at the Stade de France.

Ford is almost certain to be Scotland’s starting hooker, and he is happy to have had a dress rehearsal for the last-eight clash.

“It will be much the same as the Italian match,” the Glasgow front-row forward predicted. Coming into the scrums, it was quite physical and draining at times, so it was an ideal warm-up for the Argentina game.”

Ford will face pressure for his position from the two other hookers in Frank Hadden’s squad — Scott Lawson and Fergus Thomson.

Lawson was among the replacements the last time the men in blue played the Pumas, at Murrayfield in 2005.

The South Americans won a nail-biter 23-19 that day, after they were awarded a controversial penalty try with 10 minutes remaining.

Thomson meanwhile, has nothing but praise for Argentina: “They’ve improved a lot and their skill levels have risen. They always seemed a scrummaging team but now they have other skills and are fast on their feet.”