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Jack Dempsey reflects on decision to switch allegiance to Scotland

By PA
Scotland's flanker Jack Dempsey prepares for a scrum during the France 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between Scotland and Tonga at Stade de Nice in Nice, southern France on September 24, 2023. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

Jack Dempsey is relishing the “ultimate test” as Scotland bid to prove they have grown since their last meeting with world champions South Africa 14 months ago.

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Gregor Townsend’s side struggled to lay a glove on the Boks as they lost 18-3 in a World Cup pool-stage match in Marseille in September 2023.

South Africa went on to win the tournament for the second successive time, but Dempsey is excited to see how his team fare against them in Sunday’s Autumn Test at Murrayfield.

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    “I’m itching for it,” said the Australia-born back-rower. “It’s the ultimate test.

    “They’re the back-to-back defending champions, the best in the world. And they deserve to have that crown. They’re the ultimate litmus test in terms of being a professional rugby player.

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    “We’re at a point now where we want to see how much we’ve grown from the World Cup, from when we played them last time. They’re the best country for eight years straight.

    “We’re not under any illusion about what’s coming, but we’re glad to have them here and glad to play against the best in the world.”

    The last meeting between the teams was Scotland’s lowest-scoring outing of the past five years and the only time they have failed to score a try for four years.

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    But Dempsey believes his team need to concentrate on delivering their best performance rather than focusing on the scoreboard.

    “I think in Test rugby, the scoreline never truly depicts what happened, depending on how you look at it,” said Dempsey.

    “We know that they like to take threes (kick penalties). And we know we like to score tries.

    “We’re not thinking about whatever the points were last time we played and whatever it will be this time.

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    “We just want to test ourselves and play our best game. That’s really all we’re thinking about.”

    Dempsey has won 20 caps and established himself as a fixture in Scotland’s back row since switching allegiance from Australia to make his debut for Townsend’s team two years ago.

    “Yeah, I’ve loved it,” he said. “Two years already, it feels a lot longer. There have been ups and downs like anything, but I’ve loved every second of it. I said at the time to get that second chance in the Test arena was a dream come true again.

    “But to fast-forward two years and the bonds I’ve created, some of the friends I’ve made, the experiences while I’ve been over here have been unreal.

    “It’s just been a good fit. I said the same thing when I moved to Glasgow, where I think there was just a bit of a need for a guy with my kind of skillset to come.

    “It’s just kind of been a match made in heaven with the style Gregor wants to play, with the history and the kind of identity that Scotland have always kind of had and played with.

    “They want to be an exciting team. They don’t want to play a boring brand, which is not what I want to do.

    “I think all those things combined have just added to positive results and experiences.”

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    JW 41 minutes ago
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    Yeah of course it can be, it manages a good commerical outcome when 100 million people are following it. I’m saying rugby is no where near even remotely close to getting the payoff you’re talking about, never mind the distinct lack of anyway to implement it.


    So you’re going for the dirty approach. I’m not surprised, it’s the only way to easily implement it right now. I wouldn’t see the benefit to doing that myself. A draft, if purely feasible in it’s own right, doesn’t need to provide commercial benefit at all (if it works, that’s all it needs to do, as it no doubt did back in america’s heyday). But without the advantageous backing of sponsors and interest levels, if you pick the wrong method to implement it, like a dirty approach, you do potential harm to it’s acceptance.


    The aspect’s of the approach you chose that I don’t like, is that the franchises are the ones spending the money of the U20’s only for there opposition to get first dibs. Personally, I would much prefer an investment into a proper pathway (which I can’t really see SR U20s being at all in anycase). I’m not exactly sure how the draft works in america, but I’m pretty sure it’s something like ‘anyone whishing to be pro has to sign for the draft’, and results in maybe 10 or 20% of those being drafted. The rest (that accumulative 80/90% year on year) do go back into club, pronvincial, or whatever they have there, and remain scouted and options to bring in on immediate notice for cover etc. You yes, you draw on everybody, but what is generating your interest in the drafties in the first plaec?


    This is your missing peace. If some come through school and into the acadamies, which would be most, you’ve currently got three years of not seeing those players after they leave school. Those that miss and come in through club, maybe the second year theyre in the draft or whatever, aged 20/21, you’re going to have no clue how they’ve been playing. NPC is a high level, so any that are good enough to play that would already be drafted, but some late bloomers you might see come in NPC but then Sky’s not going to broadcast that anymore. So what’s generating this massive interest you’re talking about, and most importantly, how does it tie in with the other 7 clubs that will be drafting (and providing) players outside of NZ?


    Is the next step to pump tens of millions into SRP U20s? That would be a good start for investment in the youth (to get onto international levels of pathway development) in the first place but are fans going to be interested to the same level as what happens in america? Baseball, as mentioned, has the minor leagues, if we use that model it hasn’t to be broad over the whole pacific, because you’re not having one draft right, they all have to play against each other. So here they get drafted young and sent out into a lower level thats more expansive that SR, is there interest in that? There would be for large parts, but how financially viable would it be. Twiggy tried to get a league started and NPC clubs joined. BOP and Taranaki want SR representation, do we have a mix of the biggest clubs and provinces/states make a couple of divisions? I think that is far more likely to fan interest and commerical capabilities than an U20 of the SR teams. Or ofc Uni fits a lot of options. I’ve not really read anything that has tried to nut out the feasability of a draft, it can certainly work if this spitballing is anything to go by, but I think first theres got to be a need for it far above just being a drafting level.

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