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Watson's confusion after call from Townsend over Scotland axing
Scotland’s back row reserves currently run deeper than they have in a long time, to such an extent that nailed-on starters just a couple of seasons ago are now fighting to play.
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Despite captaining Scotland at the World Cup last year, Jamie Ritchie found himself completely out of the matchday squad against France in round two of the Guinness Six Nations, while British & Irish Lion and Six Nations player of the tournament in 2021 Hamish Watson failed to make head coach Gregor Townsend’s entire squad for the Championship.
While the Edinburgh flanker Watson has been drafted into the squad since initially missing out in January, he is yet to play.
The 32-year-old recently opened up on how his conversation with Townsend unfolded before being dropped. Joining Jim Hamilton on The Big Jim Show, the 59-cap Scotland international explained how he took a moment to “take in that international feel” when coming off against Romania at the World Cup, knowing it could be his last Scotland appearance.
Though Watson believes he still has plenty to give to his country, that match against Romania did turn out to be his last cap for now, and he shed light on his call with Townsend a few weeks later.
“I had a brief conversation with Gregor, when he rang me up to say I wasn’t in the squad,” he said.
“He’ll give you a few work-ons, which was a conversation between me and Gregor so I’m not going to go into it. One or two of them you’d be like ‘yeah, fair enough,’ then some you think they’re just pulling out of anywhere just to fill the time.
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“I think the one thing that all rugby players realise is that you’d rather just have a completely honest conversation with your coach and for them to be really honest with you.
“As a player, you can always get better, you can always have work-ons, so I don’t disagree with being given work-ons because everyone can always be way better.”
Watson went on to explain how these work-ons can negatively affect a player as they strive to work their way back into the coach’s reckoning.
“Also, there’s a certain thing that has got you to where you are as well,” he added.
“If you go into games really trying to force stuff – you say you’ve been given a few work-ons, maybe you need to jackal harder or get on the ball more – then you find yourself in games thinking ‘I need to jackal or get on the ball’.
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“You start forcing things, giving away penalties, trying to get on the ball and knocking the ball on, whatever it may be, and I think you can actually screw yourself over mentally when you’re constantly thinking about the stuff you need to get better at.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Big empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
34 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
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