Coach in bitter attack on clubs

Scotland coach Matt Williams has attacked the English clubs who have denied him up to half-a-dozen players for Sunday's test against Australia in Edinburgh.

Because the match was a late addition to the calendar to mark the recent opening of the new Scottish Parliament, it falls outside the International Rugby Board's international fixtures window, leaving the clubs under no obligation to release their international players.

But the former New South Wales coach slammed the clubs, who he believed wielded too much power and have decimated his side.

"Ian Chappell's great comment that the only good thing the English did for cricket was invent it I think can be held in rugby now, because the English clubs are not going to release our players for this test," Williams said yesterday.

"The decision by the English clubs is very sad. It is frightening for rugby, because the power of the English and French clubs is really dominating Northern Hemisphere rugby, which isn't right.

"International rugby has to dominate the calendar and club rugby falls in behind it. Presently, that's not the case. That's a very worrying situation.

"The bottom line is Scottish rugby has to take responsibility for rugby in Scotland. We can't abrogate responsibility to the English clubs, and that's what is occurring."

The Scots' misery in the fact Stuart Grimes, Ian Fullerton, Gordon Ross, Ben Hinshelwood, Jason White and Gavin Kerr won't be released by their clubs has been exacerbated by knee injuries to Tom Smith, Scott Murray, Simon Taylor and Tom Philip.

Williams will name a vastly inexperienced team today.

But Australian coach Eddie Jones played down the decimation.

"Does anyone put their first-choice side on the field these days?" he asked.

"It will be the strongest side they can put on the field. It happens at various stages of the season . . . You play sides at various degrees of strength.

"It's a test match and we're looking forward to it."

- AAP