As he prepares for his fourth crack at the Six Nations, Ben White is now firmly established as Scotland’s first-choice scrum-half heading into the championship.
Even accounting for a six-week lay-off due to a calf injury suffered back in the Autumn Series, the expectation is that White will start next weekend’s opener against Italy at Murrayfield.
Feeling fresh and revitalised, the 26-year-old Toulon man senses a different attitude around the Scotland camp than when he first arrived on the scene back in 2022.
There’s a growing sense of accountability with Scotland now, an acceptance that the sweet-spot for this squad in terms of age and experience isn’t going to last forever.
If they are ever to challenge for the Six Nations crown, there’s a feeling that this could well be the Scots’ year.
Gregor Townsend’s side start the championship with back-to-back home games against Italy and Ireland, two matches which could hold the key if they can start with two wins.
Ben White roars with delight as he heads for a memorable try against England in 2022
The English-born scrum-half has become an integral part of Gregor Townsend’s squad
White scores a try against South Africa in last season’s Autumn Test, only to see it ruled out
A trip to face England at Twickenham is then followed by a home clash with Wales, before the Scots finish with a game against France in Paris.
White has been around the squad for long enough now to know that Scotland have too often been guilty of boom-or-bust in previous years.
Capable of some fantastic highs, they have also slumped to some horrible lows, such as the defeat against Italy in Rome last year.
White believes now is the time for the team to step up and deliver, with an emphasis on showing greater consistency if they are to finally challenge for silverware.
‘We have to really step up this year,’ declared White, who has won 24 caps since scoring a try on his debut against England back in 2022.
‘We can talk and talk and talk and talk, or we can actually just crack on. One thing we’ve said is having ownership as a playing group on driving standards every day in training, driving our accuracy and knowledge of our roles. When we played in November, making sure when we had that challenge against Australia that we put down a marker to say that we are going to compete with this and win this match.
Finn Russell crosses for a try in the impressive Autumn Test victory over Australia last year
‘I think the ownership in the group to put in a performance on an individual level and also a team level, that’s key.
‘Having knowledge within the group, and that self-ownership, will give us the best chance of doing something.
‘But it’s very easy to sit and talk. Fundamentally in the Six Nations, if you slip up once or twice, it’s done. So we have to be really accurate and honest with ourselves and take ownership, and that will allow us to have a good opportunity of doing something.
‘Our game has evolved over the years, even from when I’ve come in, and I think we have some different elements. I believe that’s a huge growth in our game.’
Pressed on whether time could be running out for this squad to finally deliver, White continued: ‘Yeah, of course. Every time we take to the field, we want to win games.
‘That’s the level we’re at in professional rugby and everyone expects us to do that now. That’s the privilege we’ve earned through playing well over a couple of years.
Scotland celebrate a try against Wales last year, and White insists the team bond is strong
‘This is on us now. We can’t allow ourselves to play well, to then not play well, and to then slip off.
‘We now have to expect ourselves to put in good performances as a team.
‘The growth that we’ve had is that we’ve played in big games now and we’ve fallen short, like South Africa in November and Ireland.
‘Hopefully now we can learn from those when the pressure does come on. It’s how can we adapt and make the changes within the game before it’s too late.’
White’s partnership with Finn Russell will, of course, be key to Scotland’s chances over these next couple of months.
The pair are now firmly established as Townsend’s first-choice partnership in the half-backs and their understanding has grown year on year.
Russell and White are firmly established as Scotland’s first choice half-back partnership
White would argue that Russell is no longer the maverick type of figure he was once perceived to be. Instead, he sees a cool, calm and collected operator at the peak of his powers.
‘Finn is a brilliant player and over the years playing with him I’ve started to get more of an understanding of how he plays,’ said White. ‘Finn pushes the envelope a little bit. He gets very flat at the line and wants the ball in tough places at times — and that is great for me.
‘The more I train and play with him, I understand how he wants the ball, when he wants it.
‘With that time when you play alongside each other, you get a connection, to understand what he is trying to do and what he is thinking — as hard as that is at times!
‘But I enjoy playing with him. He communicates very well, he is a very relaxing player to play with.
White is left dejected as Scotland suffered a cruel loss to France in last year’s championship
‘Even if things seem to be going wrong, or we’ve not got great control, he is very calming.
‘That has definitely helped me to improve that part of my game and to be calm in the way you speak and think about the game.
‘Finn is really good at that, so it’s been great. Some people say that he is a maverick, but I think he understands the game very well. He reviews teams very well. He backs his ability and he’s not afraid to pull the trigger.
‘You have to be absolutely on it every time you pass the ball to Finn. That’s what pushed me — I have to be accurate to allow him to do his thing.’
White spent last week in camp with Scotland but will be on the bench for Toulon in their important Top14 clash with La Rochelle tonight as he continues to build his fitness.
The Six Nations head coaches convened in Rome earlier this month for the tournament launch
The scrum-half missed six weeks after suffering a calf injury in Scotland’s victory over Australia at Murrayfield back in November but he feels he is now getting back to his best.
‘I tore my soleus (calf muscle) in the game against Australia, so I was out for six-and-a-half weeks,’ he said. ‘Since I’ve been back fit, it was nice to get a couple of games off the bench and then a start last week (against Sale in Champions Cup when White’s side lost 33-7) to get my teeth back into it, which was good.
‘It was probably good for me to get my body right and be able to rehab some things I needed to in my shoulder and stuff.
‘So I’m feeling good now and ready to go.’
