THE Lions legend who lured Graham Steadman from rugby league into the 15-a-side code is backing Scotland's new defence coach to help get the dark blues back on track with South Africa the next up opponents at Murrayfield on Saturday.
John Bentley, one of the stars of the Lions' series win over the Springboks 11 years ago and even better remembered for a brilliant solo try against Gauteng on that same tour, signed Steadman as a player during a stint as rugby union director at Clec
kheaton.
He recalls how the former Castleford Tigers and Great Britain full back was just the type to cross the codes and provide a spark of inspiration with his flair providing the perfect intuition for knowing how attackers' minds work.
"It's a case of poacher turned gamekeeper where Graham is concerned in moving from playing into coaching," insists Bentley, the former Newcastle Falcon with spells of top rugby league on either side of that career.
"Graham brought with him from rugby league a reputation as a maverick who would conjure up those flashes of individual inspiration which win games especially with his ability to beat opponents on a sixpence.
"So, he'll be able to work out what attackers are trying to do and he'll always be relied on to think deeply about what is going on.
"If Graham was a one-off as a player who was difficult to defend against because the sole thing you could expect from him was the unexpected there is much more to his capabilities as a coach.
"Typical of the rugby league guys who go into rugby union coaching like Alan Tait at Newcastle, Shaun Edwards at Wasps and Denis Betts at Gloucester is their hard mental edge.
"That is exactly what Graham will bring.
He will pick up on what needs to be developed because the rugby league converts have a culture of being really critical of their own performance and setting high standards as he continues to make his way in union."
That journey took Steadman from Cleckheaton to Munster and then to Ireland as defence coach before successfully applying for his current job which, within two hours of last weekend's 6-32 defeat by New Zealand, saw him preparing for a Springboks side fresh from winning 20-15 against Wales.
Says Steadman: "South Africa will pose a totally different threat in terms of not only their physicality but also their kicking and chasing. They have two fliers out on the flanks (JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana] and they will put a lot of pressure on our backs who will have to be a little bit more decisive.
"South Africa will give us an aerial bombardment no matter what the elements so we have to be on our game. The responsibility starts with the front line of defence who have got to get into position to put pressure on the kickers then escort the chasers before assisting the receiving player. I'll be talking about who has to do what in these specific roles this week."
Steadman insists that while Scotland conceded four tries, the opening leg of the Bank of Scotland Corporate sponsored Autumn Test series had its merits. "It was a great opportunity that got away but one thing we have to take is the number of chances created. I have never felt more optimistic after a game as I did on Saturday because the scoreline does not reflect how we played. The object for us this week is to be more clinical.
"It was a good performance against the tightest defence in the Tri Nations who have been together for a very long time with depth to select from. We have to be upbeat. I know we will tighten up. It is just an awareness exercise.
"Twelve or eighteen months down the track we will be up there with the best.
We had several different combinations coming together well after just 12 days and the pleasing thing is these players showed the maturity and an understanding that can be built on moving forward."
But he admitted: "Everybody is hurting because of the chance that got away."
How quickly Scotland learn will determine whether they can take the scalp of the reigning world champions.
• SEAN Lamont has been ruled out of Scotland's remaining autumn tests with a hamstring injury. The Northampton winger pulled up as he chased Richard Kahui before the New Zealand centre grabbed their third try in the 32-6 win at Murrayfield on Saturday.
• EDINBURGH Rugby supporters club are hosting a forum in the Nelson/Waddell Suite of Murrayfield Stadium tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7.30pm. Team coach Andy Robinson and flanker Simon Cross will be taking part. Also on the panel are Roy McCombe, SRU referees' manager, as well as Boroughmuir coach Eamon John.
The full article contains 815 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
