Winners and losers from Gregor Townsend's Scotland squad announcement
The long-awaited and much-craved return of Finn Russell dominates the first Scotland squad announcement since the Covid-19 pandemic applied the buffers to an encouraging 2020. Russell’s poorly handed fall-out with Gregor Townsend threatened to derail the Six Nations campaign after a disastrous World Cup but the championship was an uplifting exercise in lessons learned.
With new specialist coaches, Scotland were meaner, played cannier and defended ferociously.
There were near misses against Ireland and England, but Italy and France were conquered and momentum was building for the final fixture in Cardiff before the tournament juddered to a halt.
Townsend has named two newly-eligible South Africans in an autumn group that features several typically bold selections.
Here, RugbyPass picks out the winners and losers from the 40-man squad.
Winners:
Finn Russell
Scotland will benefit immeasurably from a highly motivated and engaged Russell – which is exactly what they are getting – but the stand-off too has plenty to gain here. Russell loves playing for Scotland, and that he felt compelled to leave the team hotel on the eve of the Six Nations camp was a source of great anguish.
His form at Racing 92 has been consistently immense. He has delivered again and again in the Top 14 and in the ruthless warzone of the Champions Cup knockout phase. But you fancy Warren Gatland will want to see him bossing Test matches, particularly away from Murrayfield, if he is to start for the Lions next year.
There are few finer pivots in world rugby right now, and Russell’s return to the Scotland squad is cause for celebration.
He's back. ?https://t.co/G6gQzCjH32
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 12, 2020
Duhan van der Merwe
After Russell, the most exhilarating addition to the squad. Van der Merwe’s stats for Edinburgh are ridiculous – in last season’s Pro14, he scored seven tries, while making more metres, more clean breaks and beating more defenders than anyone else.
The winger is a titan of a man who shifts at unfathomable speed for his size. How he handles the step up to Test rugby will be fascinating. Edinburgh’s coaches have worked hard to improve his positioning and handling, and encouraged him to look for ball rather than waiting for it to come to his flank.
Van der Merwe’s weaknesses might be exposed more by international opposition than they are in the Pro14, but Scotland now have a whopping strike runner in their arsenal with enthralling potential.
Blair Cowan
Aged 34, with his most recent cap coming four years ago, Cowan must have thought his international days were done. He has been rewarded for relentlessly influential performances and impressive numbers on the open-side flank for London Irish, with his jackaling especially attractive under the new breakdown law interpretations.
Townsend was extremely taken with Cowan’s displays before lockdown and his continued proficiency since the Premiership’s restart.
Scott Steele
It will be fiendishly hard to unseat Ali Price and George Horne as the incumbent scrum-halves, but opportunities will arise in the autumn and it is up to Steele to seize them after a strong start to life at Harlequins. Townsend thinks very highly of him and seems impressed at how he had gone from contract-less at the start of the pandemic to performing well in the Premiership.
James Lang
Capped twice on a tour of the Americas over two years ago, Steel’s Quins team-mate has not been seen in a Scotland jersey since. Part of that owes to badly timed injury, but Townsend is a huge admirer of the play-maker. He might fill the second distributor role at 12 or be used off the bench as cover for both fly-half and midfield.
Oli Kebble
From the paucity of recent years, Scotland’s cup suddenly runneth over with high-calibre loose-head props. Kebble is a monstrous specimen and a hugely destructive scrummager, but also carries well and has a soft pair of hands.
Playing for Scotland was always his ultimate ambition since leaving the Stormers three years ago, and with his residency period complete, the hulking South African will challenge Rory Sutherland for a starting berth.
The loosehead, who will be available to Gregor Townsend for the first time under the residency rule, played a key role in the Warriors' 20-7 defeat of Scarlets.https://t.co/cjvYKRl7m7
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 11, 2020
Losers:
Sam Hidalgo-Clyne
A little over a year ago, Hidalgo-Clyne couldn’t make a Scarlets match-day 23. In a couple of weeks, he might very well be an English and European champion.
Rob Baxter spied in the scrum-half a brilliant operator who had, for various reasons, tumbled down the pecking order for region and country. The crispness of his passing, accurate kicking game and abrasiveness on the carry make for a rounded game, and he is blossoming anew at Exeter Chiefs.
The fact that his back-to-back final outings will prevent him training with Scotland for the first fortnight of the camp counted against him, but he could yet force his way in.
Mark Bennett & Matt Scott
An attacking fulcrum for Edinburgh, Bennett is highly experienced and excelled under Townsend at Glasgow. Finally injury-free for an extended spell, he is performing well for Edinburgh. Scott was among the club’s most effective and prominent players last term and his form has not dropped significantly in a toiling Leicester Tigers squad in transition. The sheer volume of high-quality centres with credit in the bank did for both of them.
Allan Dell
The loose-head was Scotland’s first-choice a year ago, but the emergence of Sutherland and qualification of Kebble have shunted him out of the squad. He might be aggrieved to be usurped by Jamie Bhatti, who has only played 17 minutes of rugby post-lockdown, but hasn’t done enough for London Irish to compel Townsend.
Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors
Arguably, those who suffer the greatest losses from this squad announcement are the two pro-teams who supply the vast bulk of the players.
Edinburgh and Glasgow contribute a combined 29 of the 40 men in the squad. This in itself is not unusual, and nor is it generally a massive cause for alarm. Some will be released for Pro14 duty when not involved in Test matches.
But with Scottish Rugby implementing a recruitment freeze amid the pandemic, neither side has been able to recruit as they would have liked. There are sizeable gaps in both squads. Cockerill and Danny Wilson will be left relying on kids and fringe players to plug holes and grasp opportunities.
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely..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.
5 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?
4 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.
5 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to comments