Gregor Townsend admits his fears for Scotland summer tour
Scotland boss Gregor Townsend admits their summer tour could come under threat from the coronavirus.
The Dark Blues are set to fly out for two Tests against world champions South Africa in early July before moving on to Dunedin to take on New Zealand.
With his side’s final Guinness Six Nations clash with Wales on Saturday scrapped due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Townsend says there are now no guarantees Scotland will be able to fulfil those dates against the southern hemisphere giants.
The head coach told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound programme: “We’re hoping the virus’ peak comes and goes by then and we can get back to normal life.
“Hopefully that will be before the summer but obviously if that takes longer than that then (the summer tour) could be affected too.”
Wales bosses had insisted on Friday morning that their Championship finale against the Scots would go ahead – only to then change their mind a few hours later after thousands of Scotland supporters had arrived in Cardiff.
Townsend and his squad were on the way to Friday’s team run at the Principality Stadium when they received the news that the clash with Wayne Pivac’s Dragons was off.
But he is now expecting Scotland to complete their Six Nations duties on October 31, along with the rest of the Super Saturday fixtures cancelled in response to the virus’s spread across Europe.
“Yes it was disappointing to see the game cancelled but it’s obviously all relevant with what else is happening throughout the rest of the world,” he said.
“We were obviously lucky to get our game in Rome played just before the virus started to spread round the north of Italy.
“Perhaps looking back we were fortunate to get our game with France played too.
“If we’d have got the final one played that would have completed our season but we all know now that there won’t be much sport for a few weeks.
TOP 50 U20s ?????
For the purposes of this article, any player born on or after 1/1/2000 qualifies, as they would meet the eligibility requirements to play U20 rugby this year.
– @alexshawsport selects his 50 top U20s talents ???? https://t.co/Bsvso7M2bN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 15, 2020
“I’ve now heard that late October is likely to be the date leading up to the November Tests.
“I did hear the summer getting mentioned as well but I imagine it will get pushed back to a later date when Ireland are looking to play their games. They’ve got two games remaining so it makes sense we all play that final round of fixtures on the same weekend.”
The shelved showdown with Wales was in keeping with a campaign that has not been short of incidents for Townsend’s team.
Close defeats to Ireland and England were followed by two more encouraging results as Italy and Grand Slam-chasing France were downed.
Talisman Finn Russell has been absent throughout all four games following a row with the head coach but Townsend hopes a peace pact can now be brokered.
An England XV for 2023 ??
– @alexshawsport faces the daunting task of picking England's starting team for the #RWC2023 #BeKindhttps://t.co/6Mf8PbnOXP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 15, 2020
Asked if fresh talks with the Racing 92 star were planned, he said: “Yes of course. I’ll be speaking to everyone over the next few weeks trying to motivate them and see where they are and what they need to do to get on the summer tour.
“It’s been an interesting season when you think back to our last game at the World Cup when we had the typhoon coming through Tokyo and Yokohama.
“It’s been challenging circumstances but when I look back across the campaign I see a lot of positives.
“I saw a group that has really come together off the field.
“Young players like Rory Sutherland, Scott Cummings, Adam Hastings and Nick Haining came in for their Six Nations debuts against Ireland and have carried on some good form through the tournament.
“The defensive efforts have pleased me most. I think the guys are enjoying not having the ball, which doesn’t seem the right thing to say. But they are more confident knowing that if the opposition does go through a number of phases that we can get the ball back.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
76 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments