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'It's the best Scottish team I've ever gone up against as a coach or a player': Ireland legend pays Scotland the ultimate compliment
Ireland legend Paul O’Connell believes Gregor Townsend has created the strongest Scotland team he will have ever faced either as a player or coach. The forwards coach has also warned Ireland not to hand the Scots any kind of “leg-up” in Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations clash in Edinburgh.
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Scotland stunned England 11-6 at Twickenham to kick-start the Six Nations and the former Munster and Ireland lock also hailed head coach Townsend for adding an under-appreciated physical element to his team’s exciting attacking play. “There’s no doubt Scotland are an excellent side,” said O’Connell.
“Any team that is coached by Gregor Townsend always attacks really well but going back to his Glasgow days they always have an incredibly physical edge. You think sometimes if a coach is in to attack his teams won’t have a physical edge, but every single Glasgow team I played back in the day were excellent attacking sides but they were physical as well. And it’s the same with this Scotland side now.
“So much of the good attack in the Autumn Nations Cup and the start of the Six Nations has come from Scotland. And then they are very, very physical as well. It was a fantastic performance by them against England in the first game, an excellent set-piece performance that laid a real solid foundation for them to go on and win.
“It’s the best Scottish team I have ever gone up against as a coach or a player. They are very well-coached, very physical and the have got some real X-factor players as well, Finn Russell to name one and Stuart Hogg just to name another. So I think they are in a very, very good place and we are very aware of the challenge.”
'You don’t want what happened in the autumn when France played their second or third team'https://t.co/vZWS0OopqF
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 8, 2021
O’Connell’s comments will prove another boost for Townsend’s chances of making Lions boss Warren Gatland’s coaching team for the summer Test series against South Africa, with the Scotland chief heavily favoured for a backroom role. Josh van der Flier, meanwhile, must pass head-injury return to play protocols to contest selection for Sunday’s Murrayfield trip, but otherwise Ireland have a fully fit squad.
Andy Farrell’s Ireland will be itching for top form and victory in Scotland, having lost out 21-16 in Wales and 15-13 to France in Dublin. The 48-10 win over callow Italy in Rome on February 27 offered some respite and plenty of cheer, but O’Connell knows full well that the final two fixtures – against Scotland and England – pose an entirely different challenge.
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“These next two weeks against a resurgent, confident Scottish side, and an English side we have struggled against in recent months and years, it’s a real tough challenge now, the last two weeks,” said O’Connell. “We have taken confidence from some of the things we have done in the last three games.
“We have probably been unlucky in some regards and we haven’t helped ourselves in other regards. We have probably given sides a leg-up when we have played them at times and that’s something that we just can’t afford to do going forward in the next two weeks. You have to be hard to beat, you can’t give things away to teams.
“Unfortunately we have done that a little bit and the next two weeks that is one of the most important parts of what we have to deliver. We can’t give things away, we can’t give teams a leg-up because this Scottish team will take advantage of that.”
If you couldn't pick any of the current match-day team, who are the form picks?
Josh Raisey ??? has a go at choosing a XVhttps://t.co/lEqq1P7gO4
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 8, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper 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?
11 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.
10 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.
11 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.
24 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.
10 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 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 comments