'I've certainly reflected on the events and what I could have done better with Finn'
As disputes go, it wasn’t quite Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy in the cloying heat of Saipan, but the very public departure of Finn Russell from the Scotland hotel in January and the rancour that followed between the fly-half and Gregor Townsend gave Scottish rugby an almighty gut-punch.
Back then, in what feels like an age ago, Scotland were in grave need of feel-good. Townsend, perhaps most of all, needed a booming 2020 after the meek Six Nations of 2019 and the mortification in Japan. He wanted a high-profile fall-out and withering remarks from his fulcrum like Wile E Coyote wanted an anvil to the head.
Nine months on, details around the mending of fences remain sketchy. Russell is back in the Townsend squad and would have played for Scotland on their summer tour of South Africa and New Zealand had it not been cancelled. “We had conversations towards the end of the Six Nations that have carried on all the way through the summer up until as recently as a few days ago,” said Townsend.
“The lockdown and time away from rugby and normal life allowed people to connect throughout the world and certainly we have connected a lot over that period. We want the best for him, we want the best for the Scotland team, and we see them both coming together over this period.”
Mike Prendergast, the highly respected attack coach at Racing 92, forged a fertile relationship with Russell that Townsend has, for whatever reason, not been able to cultivate in the past with Scotland and Glasgow. “You’ll be getting a very determined and motivated Finn who is in great form,” Prendergast told The XV last week.
One man may have stolen the headlines, but Gregor Townsend's Scotland squad contains several typically bold selections.
???@JLyall93 https://t.co/SgUwUYZHvl
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 12, 2020
Townsend said he had ruminated on the experience as the pandemic raged and sport fell into shadow. He is a vociferous student of sports and leadership and culture and the hope is that both coach and play-maker can foster more fruitful bonds in the weeks to come.
“It has been a very good time for learning,” he added. “The lockdown started and life changed a lot at the end of the six nations. I’ve certainly reflected on the events and what I could have done better with Finn and in my role as a coach.
“I’ve had plenty of time to learn off others during that period. You learn from your experiences. As a coach, you make lots of mistakes throughout the season so it has been a time to put all of that into the memory banks and make sure you become a better coach for the experience.”
Before he returns to Scotland and Towensend, Russell has a European final on his agenda with Racing. So too do national captain Stuart Hogg, Jonny Gray and Sam Skinner. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, their Exeter Chiefs teammate, is a surprise omission after a brilliant beginning to his stint in Devon.
The scrum-half’s absence owes to being unavailable for the first two weeks of camp while Exeter contest the Champions Cup and Premiership showpieces. Having not been involved under Townsend, the worry is that it would take too long for him to get up to speed.
“We are fortunate that three of those players are three of our most experienced players,” said Townsend of the Champions Cup finalists representing Scotland. “Finn is on 49 caps, Jonny over 50 and Stuart over 70. “These are players who have been around the group, who know the players and the coaches and know the rugby we are aiming to play. If they are to go from one environment to the other in a short period of time, we believe they have the capabilities to do that.
“We have to find ways to build that cohesion as well. They are all going to be online via Zoom for a meeting on Tuesday night. We will be filming training sessions and sending out information to them during the next two weeks, albeit they have their own games to focus on.
“They will have that information so they will see what we have done in training and will see things we are trying to add to our game since the Six Nations.”
He's back. ?https://t.co/G6gQzCjH32
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 12, 2020
One of the most riveting aspects of the autumn will be Duhan van der Merwe’s assimilation to Test rugby. The South African juggernaut is a totemic figure for Edinburgh and, having completed his three-year residency period, he will be given the opportunity to transfer blistering club form to the international stage.
Van der Merwe has been prolific in Scotland – 31 tries in 60 games – and routinely tops the attacking charts. Since his PRO14 debut in November 2017, he has scored more tries, gained more metres, average more metres gained per carry, made more clean breaks and beaten more defenders than anyone else in the league.
Although devastating with the ball, Edinburgh have had to upskill the 6ft 4in winger on positional awareness, defence and handling. “Yes, he can (add a different dimension to the Scotland attack),” said Townsend.
“He is obviously a very powerful player, a very fast player, but also a player who has worked on parts of his game that needed improving from a couple of years ago, especially around his positioning in the backfield, his defensive work. He has been outstanding there so far this season.
“We were all delighted he got through the Munster game this weekend having not played for a couple of weeks. He looked sharp and strong. He has got to find out what we do in certain situations and the style of rugby we play. We want him and the other wingers to get on the ball as much as possible.
“Wingers tend to be the players who break more tackles and are the quickest, most powerful, most dynamic players on the field so if Duhan gets double-figure carries that means he has worked really hard to get on the ball or we have found ways to get him into the game.”
Best of frenemies next Saturday ? https://t.co/3R0zMI5xJN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 11, 2020
Townsend was full of praise for 34-year-old Blair Cowan, called up for the first time in four years, and 30-year-old Rob Harley, capped once in the past three. Both forwards have been wreaking destructive mayhem for London Irish and Glasgow. Cowan might be a particular asset as a jackal under the new breakdown law interpretations. Blade Thomson is fit again and has a precious point of difference with his ball-carrying and footballing elan.
Matt Scott narrowly missed out to Sam Johnson, who has credit in the bank despite not playing post-lockdown. Jamie Bhatti gets a shot to impress because Allan Dell has repeatedly failed to take his domestically. Magnus Bradbury is dogged by injury and needs game time, while Duncan Taylor, Rory Hutchinson, Kyle Steyn, Byron McGuigan, Alex Craig and Luke Crosbie are all sidelined.
During the interrupted Six Nations, Scotland tackled and scrapped like wild dogs. They have the best defence in the tournament. They are playing craftier, crueller rugby. They look like a team who reel in the bruising throes of a Test match, rather than one desperate to give it some air at all costs.
“To have six games over an eight-week period is great for us as coaches and hopefully good for the players to spend time in each other’s company, play international rugby but also improve and evolve week to week,” said Townsend.
“There are a few more things you can add from a coach’s perspective when you have the players there for such a long time. We’re looking forward to it. We know there were a few areas we were encouraged by during the Six Nations but there are also a number of areas in which we have to improve and that starts tomorrow when we have everybody back in the squad.
“As a coaching staff, it’s about starting work again. We’ve had a lot of learning as a group and learning from others throughout the summer. We have to distil that into making this team better and building on what they did well in the spring.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I 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.
4 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 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?
3 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.
4 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to comments