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Brad Mooar is adamant Scotland cannot allow themselves to be weighed down by the pressure of chasing big victories as they bid to prolong their World Cup into the knockout phase.
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After losing their opening match against South Africa, the Scots will almost certainly require bonus-point wins over unfancied pair Tonga and Romania across the next two weekends if they are to keep their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive going into their final pool B match against Ireland in Paris.
However, assistant coach Mooar insisted Scotland – renowned for their prolific scoring – must keep calm and focus predominantly on playing to their best rather than allowing the chase for points to influence their mindset.
“If you start thinking about points, then you miss the moment that’s in front of you,” he said.
“For us, that’s something that will take care of itself at the end of the game.
“If we get our parts of the game right, on both sides of the ball, it’ll take care of itself.
“The pressure that we can create with our defence and offensive game, winning the ball back and playing off that, playing smart and with variation, that stuff takes care of itself.
“If we get too far ahead of ourselves, thinking about types of spreadsheets that need to be kept for tie-breakers at the end of the pool, then we miss the opportunity and threats in front of us.”
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Scotland were idle last weekend so have had plenty of time to banish any negativity from their Springboks defeat. Mooar insisted the players’ morale remains as high as ever as they bid to get back on track against Tonga in Nice on Sunday.
“We have the utmost confidence, nothing’s been dented,” he stressed. “If we were in the business of having a confidence crisis after one match, then you’re in the wrong game.
“It’s a game that requires resilience, perspective, persistence and utter belief. We’ve got that.
“We’re learning all the time and trying to be better. We can’t wait to get into it against Tonga on Sunday.”
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Mooar, speaking on Thursday afternoon, confirmed that Scotland have a clean bill of health as Gregor Townsend prepares to name his team for Tonga on Friday morning.
“No, I think we’re tracking quite nicely,” he said. “Everyone is on board and ready to go.”
