Beattie urges Scots to stand up to Argy-bargy

Scotland rugby legend John Beattie believes the importance of the two-Test tour of Argentina cannot be underestimated.

There is also the chance for several of the Scots squad to use the two Tests against the Pumas in Tucuman tomorrow week and Mar del Plata a week later to make a breakthrough.

Beattie said: “This tour is massively important for a variety of reasons. We made some real progress in this year’s Six Nations 2011 and signed off with our first win in Ireland in 12 years – and we want to build on that.

“They gave us our only defeat in the Autumn International Series and the boys will go out there for revenge. For their part, the Argentinians will feel the same after we beat them in the second Test in Velez Sarsfield the last time we were over there.”

“Going forward, what is probably more important is that we are in the same Pool as the Pumas in the World Cup and, if we can get the better of them on their soil over these two Tests, it will give them something to think about.

Following the 24-5 midweek warm-up victory over Japan at Murrayfield, the former Scotland No.8 is also keen to see several of Robinson’s players lay down markers for next season against the aggressive Argies.

“Richie featured off the bench in the Six Nations, but I think he could do with starting one of the two Tests. With the World Cup just 14 months away, this has got to be the start of their build-up to really staking a claim for a starting jersey.

He said: “In midweek, the Glasgow duo of Richie Gray and Richie Vernon both had illness and injury problems but, if they are fit for the tour matches, this could be a very important couple of weeks for them.

 “Although I felt Graeme Morrison had a quiet start to the Six Nations, he really came through at the end with a big game against Ireland. I would love to see him back up two really big Test performances at centre against Argentina.

“Then, of course, there is Dan Parks, who was superb for us in the Six Nations and won three man-of-the-match awards. Now Dan has the chance to control two Tests in Argentina and that is the type of challenge he will be relishing at this stage in his career and in the type of form he is in.”

However, for Beattie there is one area of the impending double-header in which the Scots will do well to claim superiority.

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Lee Byrne urges Ospreys to show their best in Magners showdown

LEE Byrne has urged the Ospreys to “do themselves justice” during tomorrow night’s intriguing inaugural Magners League Grand Final with Leinster in Dublin.

The Bridgend Athletic product was in a cautious mood as he addressed the 19,500 sell-out showdown at the RDS between some of union’s finest players.

He’ll go head-to-head with his Lions full-back rival of last year, Rob Kearney, while James Hook will be up against Brian O’Driscoll in the centre and Ryan Jones takes on Jamie Heaslip at No 8.

Throw in the likes of Shane Williams, Tommy Bowe, Mike Phillips, Jerry Collins, Marty Holah, Gordon D’Arcy, Shane Horgan, Jonathan Sexton, Eoin Reddan and Shane Jennings, and you’ve got a real who’s who of stardust.

The winner of the shoot-out between last season’s Heineken Cup kings Leinster and the star-studded Ospreys will become the first team to be crowned Celtic champions for a third time.

Leinster haven’t been beaten at home – it’s being staged at their ground because they finished top of the league section – in the Magners for 18 months and Byrne admits the Ospreys face a tall order in over-coming them.

But he believes the self-belief generated during last month’s 20-16 defeat in Dublin, that came at the end of a gruelling seven days which had seen them play Biarritz in Spain in the Heineken and Ulster in Belfast in the league, will stand them in good stead.

“It was the end of a hard week, we’d played three games on the road and had the disappointment of Biarritz, but to get so close to Leinster in that game maybe surprised a few people,” said the 29-year-old.

“They’ve not lost at home in the Magners in about 18 months so we know it’s going to be tough, but they’ve got to lose some time and hopefully it’s going to be our time.”

Byrne was playing his cards close to his chest because the Ospreys, despite their squad forming the bulk of two Wales Six Nations Grand Slam winning teams, have got a poor record when it comes to the knockout stages of tournaments.

The only successes the Swansea-based Ospreys have had in knockout matches was smashing the Blues and Saracens – just a fortnight before losing to them in the Heineken – in Anglo-Welsh semi-finals at the Millennium Stadium, beating Leicester in one Twickenham final and accounting for Glasgow a couple of weeks ago in their Magners last-four match-up.

But the Ospreys have lost just one of their last six fixtures in all competitions with Wales full-back Byrne beaming: “We’ve put ourselves in a good position.

“We want to try to make sure we do ourselves justice on the day, and if we hit the standards we have been it could be a good night for us.”

Although he didn’t join the Ospreys until a year after the region’s first Celtic League success, Byrne will still be gunning for his own personal hat-trick having won the title with the Scarlets in 2004, as well being a part of the Ospreys 2007 title-winning team.

And, with the Ospreys having trailed Leinster by three points in the final table, unsurprisingly, Byrne is a fan of the knockout system.

“I’ve won it twice before, but it’s a bit different this year; the play-offs have added a twist to it,” he said.

“This is the way it is now. We’ve been on a good run to move up the table towards the end of the season and it means we are in with a chance of winning it.”

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