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Alan Tait has backed “great thinker” Gregor Townsend to become the British and Irish Lions’ next head coach.
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Scotland team-mates Tait and Townsend proved central to the Lions’ 1997 Test series victory in South Africa that will forever hold a place in the famed touring team’s folklore.
Townsend led Scotland to standout Six Nations victories in England and France earlier this year before joining Warren Gatland’s Lions backroom staff for the South Africa tour.
The 48-year-old will be gunning to help the Lions seal a series win over the Springboks with victory in Saturday’s second Test in Cape Town.
And former dual-code international Tait believes his old colleague Townsend has all the right credentials to lead the Lions on tour in Australia in 2025.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gregor lead up the next Lions tour and I’d be 100 per cent behind that,” Tait told the PA news agency.
“Gregor has always been a great thinker. I went out on the field and just tried to read the game. But Gregor never forgot a piece of information.
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“He would remember everything and put it into action in a split-second.
“His rugby brain was superb then and he’s got better and better as he’s gone on. And that will only continue as he keeps on learning.
“He’s destined to be a top coach and I think he probably will head up the Lions next time.”
Gatland is bidding for a third Lions Test series without defeat, having tasted triumph in Australia in 2013 and pulled off a draw in New Zealand four years ago.
The Kiwi may well opt to make this South Africa tour his last in Lions colours and Tait is convinced Townsend should be the next man in line as head coach.
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“Top players will always ask about things, ask if they can do things a little differently and Gregor will say ‘yeah’ because he’s that kind of coach,” said Tait.
“It’s great for Scottish rugby as well, with Steve Tandy there too.
RASSIEGATE:
One of the most stunning allegations in an incredible 26-clip, hour-long, 1st Test review by Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus was the allegation Siya Kolisi was disrespected by the match officials#CastleLionsSeries #LionsRugby #RSAvBIL https://t.co/EnXklWgshm
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 29, 2021
“I thought he’s been a massive difference to Scotland in the last year, so full praise to Steve, he’s done a great job with Scotland and now he’s out with the Lions.
“If I were Gregor I’d have a massive smile on my face for Scotland.
“Scotland have world-class players now, I just look back to 1997 when there were five of us out there and possibly could have been a couple more.
“But after that, in 1999 we won the Five Nations, and I’m sure it was on the back of a lot of the experiences we learned and the same with Jim Telfer being out there too.
“Jim probably learned a lot working with some of the English guys out in South Africa. You take as much as you can from things like that and hopefully that can filter down to the Scottish team.”
Erasmus has said he will walk away for the final two Tests if necessary. #CastleLionsSeries #LionsRugby https://t.co/ioYIdfZxdP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 29, 2021
Tait’s try sealed the Lions’ 25-16 first Test victory over the reigning world-champion Springboks in 1997, with Townsend pulling the strings from fly-half.
The 1997 tour has been immortalised on film as the first to be accompanied by a fly-on-the-wall video crew.
Former Newcastle Falcons boss Tait admitted fans still regularly approach him to say they still watch that Living With Lions documentary.
“I think I watched the video once when I first received it,” said Tait.
“The amount of people who have gained real enjoyment out of that, who come to me and say how much they enjoyed it, it’s staggering.
“As you get older and you look back you realise how big the tour was.
“Jim Telfer’s speeches obviously have stood out, and he had many a speech when I was with Scotland as well.
“He’d sit you down before you left the hotel, before you got onto the bus. Some guys are almost motivational speakers.
“Jim could just roll off a story, talk about somebody in the room and he’d pull on your emotional strings to get you up for it.
“You could imagine him lying awake at night and composing speeches in his mind.”
Gatland’s class of 2021 pulled off the perfect start to the current tour, toppling the Springboks 22-17 last weekend.
And Tait now believes the tourists stand a fine chance of swiping the series with a Test to spare on Saturday.
“It’s key that this Lions team has done the same as we did and won the first Test,” said Tait.
“It must put pressure on the Springboks and with them not having that kind of battle-hardened match fitness, I think it will be a little bit of a worry for them not having had any matches between the World Cup and this tour.
“And I think the Lions will get out there and get a result on Saturday.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
8 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
8 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
16 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
16 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
8 Go to comments