Gregor Townsend: 'It was the first World Cup that showed what rugby was capable of'

Gregor Townsend still talks about Australia with the warmth of someone returning to a familiar sporting home. More than two decades after playing there at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, the Scotland head coach is back on a reconnaissance visit ahead of next year’s tournament, touring venues, staking out training bases and revisiting a country he believes remains one of the game’s most natural hosts.

“The stadiums are bigger and more modern than they were back then. It will be one of the first games of the World Cup here and the roof does create a noisier atmosphere. So yeah, I think it’ll be a special, noisy crowd, especially with Scottish fans,” Townsend told World Rugby.

“I’m hoping there will be Scottish fans. I didn’t want to say they’ll be full of Scottish fans, but the last World Cup in France, we were just overjoyed. When we went to play a couple of games and the stadium was full of Scottish fans. So for all the Scots that are in Australia and New Zealand and the ones that are travelling out here, I hope they come along to this game.”

Australia occupies a unique place in Townsend’s rugby story. He lived and played in Sydney before the 2003 tournament, then experienced a World Cup that helped reset expectations of what the event could be.

“I think it was great just to be in Australia for the tournament. I’d played a couple of seasons much earlier in Sydney, so I loved living in Australia and playing rugby in Australia. So to have the tournament there was fantastic. I think it just blew us away how well supported the event was.

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“We had a game in Brisbane on a Monday night against the USA and it was a sell-out crowd. So it was the first World Cup, I feel, that really showed what rugby was capable of from an event point of view. I’d played in the one four years before and there weren’t big crowds at all. So Australia made a difference and obviously it was a great tournament.

“Australia got to the final. We won’t talk about who won. We played Australia, we lost in the quarter-final, but it showed rugby in a great light.”

Next year will mark Townsend’s third involvement in a World Cup and his first as Scotland’s head coach on Australian soil, a milestone he admits carries extra weight.

“Yeah, it will be special returning as head coach. I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in two World Cups, so when I’m here for the third, I’ll feel so proud. There’s something a level above what we normally play in when you come to a World Cup.

“We’re very lucky to have the Six Nations every year, which is a huge tournament, but the World Cup, there’s just a level of anticipation and excitement. And our playing group know that this is the pinnacle of their international career. So yeah, it’ll be great to see the guys out here, our first game in this stadium.”

The current visit has reinforced Townsend’s belief that Australia’s sporting culture underpins its ability to stage an event of this scale.

“We’re touring training venues, hotels and stadiums, and the sporting culture stands out. The investment in the facilities, the amount of venues you pass or parks where people are playing sport. When we were in Perth, South, so many netball courts. It’s a sporting culture, it’s an outdoor culture.

“The weather obviously helps, but I think it’s more than the weather. There’s huge competitiveness and a love of sport, the benefits of exercise, getting behind whatever code it is. There’s obviously more than one code here.

“I think everybody will get behind rugby too. Even if they’re a football fan or a rugby league fan, they know this tournament is a huge one-off, so they’ll get behind the sport. They’ll be cheering on their team, but I’m sure they’ll be wishing all the other teams the best too.”

Townsend is also hopeful that Scotland’s travelling support will again be a feature of the tournament, helped by migration patterns and the appeal of Australia itself.

“People back home know what a great country Australia is and what a varied country it is as well. Not just the different cities, but the different climates, what you can see here and what you can experience.

“I know there are a lot of people tying in that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Australia to also watch the Rugby World Cup. There are a lot of friends and family that have moved here. It happened a lot 20 or 30 years ago, but it’s continued to happen.

“I’ve got a few friends whose daughters are now living here, so they’re timing their visit to catch up with them at the same time as the World Cup. We’re really hopeful the Scots will turn out for our games.”

One date already stands out in red pen: Scotland’s pool meeting with Ireland in Perth.

“The game in Perth is Scotland against Ireland, I’m sure there’ll be a lot of Irish expats going to that game too. But that’s brilliant, to be able to play your local rival that we play every year in the Six Nations on the other side of the world would be pretty special.”

Beyond the nostalgia, the trip is a practical step in a long and detailed build-up.

“This visit is probably six months into our preparation and we’ve still got another 18 months to go. This is really important, knowing what the potential hotels, training facilities and stadiums look like. We’ll share that with the rest of the staff.

“The plan going into the tournament is almost complete in terms of our games, but there’s still a lot of work to do day-to-day. Planning is important.

“It’s not just about being physically ready. Being mentally ready, being relaxed and enjoying the fact that you’ve come to a World Cup so you can play your best rugby, that’s a hard balance to get, but that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.”

Townsend outlined a tight schedule across several host cities, with little downtime but no shortage of information gathering.

“We’ve got a busy day in Melbourne today and then tomorrow we head up to Sydney. There are six venues, and that doesn’t just mean one venue. It’s hotels, training venues and gyms as well.

“We’ll also be in Brisbane, where we play our third game. Then we come back to Melbourne for our last day, to relax, put our notes together and head home. It’s been a two-week trip and we’ve squeezed a lot of site visits and planning into it.”

Even amid the logistics, Townsend is keen to absorb the local sporting atmosphere once more.

“We’re also going to watch a bit of sport while we’re here. Tonight we’re going to the Collingwood game and tomorrow night the Western Force game. We’re trying to fit in as much Aussie sport as we can while we’re here.”