Sir Alex Ferguson can inspire Scotland to victory over Australia, says Vern Cotter

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Jonny Gray and Ross Gray were cited after an illegal two-man tip tackle
Scotland have lodged appeal against their controversial three-week ban
Finn Russell wants Vern Cotter's men to use suspensions as motivation
Scots are preparing to face Australia in Sunday's World Cup quarter-final

By Rob Robertson For The Scottish Daily Mail

Published: 18:01 EST, 15 October 2015 | Updated: 11:00 EST, 16 October 2015

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Vern Cotter is using the wise words of Sir Alex Ferguson to inspire his Scotland team to victory over Australia after the heartache of losing Ross Ford and Jonny Gray to suspension.

The SRU on Thurdsay appealed the three-week bans which have ruled Ford and Gray out for the rest of the World Cup ... and left the rest of the team nursing a burning sense of injustice ahead of Sunday’s quarter-final at Twickenham.

And with emotions sure to be running high, centre Richie Vernon revealed that Cotter has shown the squad a rousing speech by Ferguson in which the managerial legend warns that high-pressure matches can only be won by ‘playing the game, not the occasion’.

Scotland team watched a video of speech given by Sir Alex Ferguson at a conference in Glasgow

Ross Ford and Jonny Gray (pictured) have been given three match bans for dangerous tackle against Samoa

Scotland forward Ford is out of the Rugby World Cup after his three-match ban for a tip tackle

Scotland, who have appealed the decision, trained on Wednesday ahead of quarter-final clash with Australia

‘Sir Alex has won a few trophies and is a very good man to listen to,’ said Vernon. ‘We watched a video of one of his speeches from a conference he did in Glasgow and part of it was him giving advice on how to play in a final.

‘The major part that stuck was to play the game not the occasion and that will be a big focus for us against Australia. That’s so important as we can’t get too carried away just because it’s the World Cup quarter-finals.’

Chief executive Mark Dodson said the SRU have launched a ‘robust’ appeal against the suspensions for Ford and Gray following their joint illegal tackle on Samoa’s Jack Lam. But they are already preparing to face the Wallabies without the key pair as they are appealing the length of the suspensions rather than the finding of guilt itself, and no date has yet been set for the hearing.

Finn Russell has urged his team-mates to use the suspensions of forwards Ford and Gray as motivation

Gray (centre) will now miss rest of the World Cup following the tackle (not pictured) in the win over Samoa

With Ireland flanker Sean O’Brien receiving just one week for punching Pascal Pape in the stomach, Dodson said he had contacted Brett Gosper of World Rugby asking for more consistency in the length of bans handed out during the tournament.

‘We hold Ross and Jonny in very high regard and as a result will be launching a robust appeal to challenge their suspensions, which we feel are unduly harsh,’ said Dodson. ‘I have raised their case with Brett Gosper at World Rugby and asked for consistency in how such incidents are punished.

‘It is clear other Unions are also seeking better clarity on the use of citing and the interpretation of how key areas of the game are scrutinised and the subsequent levels of punishment set.’

Gosper yesterday defended the disciplinary process that has caused so much discontent – but said he’d be open to suggestions on improvement in time for the next World Cup.

An SRU spokesperson said Ford and Gray had both expressed surprise and disappointment at their punishments.

‘Both players have exemplary records and are widely acknowledged as model professionals who play the game in the right spirit and their actions had no malice or harmful intention,’ said the spokesperson.