Scotland end of season summary and awards

by **RDW** Mon 25 Jun 2018, 9:09 am

First topic message reminder :

Scotland season 2017-2018

Summer tour

Argentina 15 - 44 Scotland
USA 30 - 29 Scotland
Canada 10 - 48 Scotland

6 Nations

Italy 27 - 29 Scotland
Ireland 28 - 8 Scotland
Scotland 25 - 13 England
Scotland 32 - 26 France
Wales 34 - 7 Scotland

AIs

Scotland 53 - 24 Australia
Scotland 17 - 22 New Zealand
Scotland 44 - 38 Samoa

Points for - 336

Points against - 262

Summary

Well it is probably fair to say this has been one of the most memorable seasons in recent times! Some stand out wins (England, France, Australia), some incredible performances (those three plus NZ), combined with a harrowing defeat (Wales) and an embarrassing lesson that you can’t put a bunch of kids out in international rugby and expect to win (USA).

All in all we have seen a lot of attacking rugby, some great tries, although some dodgy defence at times. Scotland have a reputation for bad defence, which has been true at times, but this season we scored 74 points more than we conceded – as long we keep that up we should be OK….

Townsend will have learnt a hell of a lot from his first season in charge. Personally I would like to see us tighten up our defence, even if that means limiting our attacking ambitions slightly (but only slightly). There’s lots fo look forward to next season with a world cup carrot at the end of the stick.

End of season awards

Player of the season
Forward of the season
Back of the season
Young player of the season
Debut of the season
‘Must do better’ award

by **RDW** Tue 24 Jul 2018, 1:20 pm

Denton has shown regularly that if you play him at 6 and expect him to do a lot of graft and dirty work he's just not effective. That's a big part of the reason he wasn't successful at Bath - with Faletau at 8 he rarely played there and filled in at 6 or 7(!) instead. If you put him at 8 and tell him to carry hard that's what he'll do.

Personally I think there's a few positions up in the air, and form and injury will dictate who goes to the WC. At 8 Denton might nail down the position in the AIs and 6N, or we may see Adam Ashe pull together a run of fitness that puts him back in the frame. The most likely scenario is probably for Wilson to keep the shirt.

by Hazel Sapling Tue 24 Jul 2018, 2:21 pm

I do think Bradbury has a spot in the back-row sewn up for November barring injury and/or a catastrophic run of form. He seems to have matured since the head knock. The question is do you play him at 6 or as an 8?

Options at 6 (would have to play 6)
- M Fagerson - does not have the power (yet) for 8 and will need to work on the hard graft. Dynamic and mobile
- Harley - Good at line-out, will make loads of tackles and join plenty of rucks without winning the contact area, can't or won't carry at all
- Hamilton - Fetcher who offers himself as a carrier. Will tackle himself into the ground. Was probably the favourite until a poor summer tour

Options at 8 (some can play either)
- Wilson - offers bite in the pack. Not the best player, but is a jack of all trades who makes the pack competitive.
- Denton - Carries. Seems to be working harder on the tackling with a brain fart here and there. No use in the ruck, not sure in the line-out
- Strauss - Carries, can jump in the line-out. Tackles fairly well. Older. Does try to fetch occasionally.
- Ashe - Made of glass. Carries well, tackles well, don't remember him being in rucks consistently. Younger.

Potential Left Field
Eadie, Crosbie, Carmichael, Miller

For Wales, I would probably go for an experiment

6) Bradbury
7) Watson
8) Ashe

20) Wilson (M Fagerson when it turns out Ashe is injured, Wilson starts)

by EWT Spoons Tue 24 Jul 2018, 2:40 pm

I'd chuck Ritchie into the options at 6. He's more naturally a 7, but has played 6 a number of times for Edinburgh and did well, at times very well.

Denton is ok at 8, he's nothing special but he holds onto the ball and generally makes a yard or two.

I'd like to see Bradbury play 8 as he's got the ball carrying down, he can also pass, which is a huge advantage over Denton. However, he's not playing there at club level so asking him to do it internationally might be an ask.

CDP I think is out the running, same with Strauss (who was never in the running). Wilson is a glasgow fans favourite but he's nothing more than ok.

Ashe - No idea, he's never fit. if he can get some game time for glasgow, he might be an option but for now isn't.
Harley - 3-4 years ago one of the first names on the teamsheet for me, as he would tackle himself to a standstill and that's what we needed at that time. I think internationally we have moved on and possibly have better options.

call me biased but I'd go with this:

6. Ritchie
7. Watson
8. Bradbury

by funnyExiledScot Tue 24 Jul 2018, 5:06 pm

My first choice combination would be Barclay, Hardie and Denton, with Bradbury on the bench.

I suspect Toonie will pick Barclay, Watson and Wilson, with Denton or Bradbury on the bench.

As noted earlier, I think the gap between Watson and Hardie is wafer thin, but I prefer Hardie's physicality. At 8 I want a ball carrier, and Denton is currently the best we have with that assignment. I think Wilson is better at 6 than at 8, but at 6 I have him behind Barclay, Bradbury, Hamilton, Harley, Fagerson and Lee Jones (covering blindside).

by EWT Spoons Tue 24 Jul 2018, 5:13 pm

Ah I was going on the assumption Barclay was still injured for this. If not, then yeah swap him in for Ritchie.

I don't think the gap between Hardie and Watson is that thin to be fair, considering Hardie was let go from Edinburgh and seems to be (you never know in these things) without a club. Whereas Watson is gainfully employed. Also Hardie is a walking head injury waiting to happen. I rate him highly but I think his injury-proneness probably puts him down the pecking order, plus Watson is, in my opinion a better player.

by Hazel Sapling Tue 24 Jul 2018, 5:50 pm

I was going on the assumption of this is for Wales in November when we don't have non-Scots based players (Denton, Hardie, Strauss, Eadie).

Think Barclay could be back before the end of the year, but surely he won't be playing in early October? He would need 2-3 games to get back in shape after such a serious injury.

by funnyExiledScot Tue 24 Jul 2018, 6:58 pm

No, Barclay won't be fit for the AIs.

Based on your points above, then it pretty much picks itself:

6. Bradbury
7. Watson
8. Wilson

Sub: Ritchie

Yes, I admit it. Wilson sneaks in...

by **George Carlin** Tue 24 Jul 2018, 8:10 pm

God, we really have a problem at No 8, don't we?

I would remortgage Bru's secret third test!cle to have a CJ Stander or a Fat Billy available to us. The bizarre falling out of favour of Josh Strauss has never been explained to me and suddenly Denton is apparently our saviour despite an average record in poor Jeff teams.

Could Bradbury play 8? Is he just not big enough? The future is not Arthur Ashe, sad to say.

by **RDW** Tue 24 Jul 2018, 8:27 pm

I think Bradbury's future is best served at 6, particularly given his fantastic end of season run with Edinburgh and then Scotland.

He could be the all rounder tough barsteward we've been looking for in our 6 - he hit rucks hard, is very physical in contact and his carrying is a benefit (especially if we have a lightweight 8).

Saying that, he may play 8 for Edinburgh a lot given him and Mata are the only main options and we've got lots of 6.5s.

by funnyExiledScot Tue 24 Jul 2018, 8:34 pm

George Carlin wrote:God, we really have a problem at No 8, don't we?

I would remortgage Bru's secret third test!cle to have a CJ Stander or a Fat Billy available to us. The bizarre falling out of favour of Josh Strauss has never been explained to me and suddenly Denton is apparently our saviour despite an average record in poor Jeff teams.

Could Bradbury play 8? Is he just not big enough? The future is not Arthur Ashe, sad to say.

It's annoying when you consider players like Simon Taylor and Ally Hogg who would have been perfect for us in these days of attacking rugby.

I just don't know about Bradbury at 8. I'd like to see him tried in that position but I guess Bill Mata will be first choice at Edinburgh will Bradbury more likely used at 6.

Yes, we have a problem at 8. I do hope Strauss comes back into favour.

by 12345678910 Tue 24 Jul 2018, 9:15 pm

If we could get a player with Wilson's rugby brain (discipline aside) without his penchant for kebabs and Denton's size and power we'd be in business. If Ashe could get going I really think it could be him but that is an enormous if.

I think our number 8 issue is part of the reason we have occasionally struggled with Six nations games, Ireland, England and Wales all have massive 8s giving them a go forward that we don't have.

by funnyExiledScot Tue 24 Jul 2018, 11:38 pm

Ashe has big promise and he started last season on fire. I like him but there's something of the Rory Lamont about him.

by 12345678910 Wed 25 Jul 2018, 12:44 am

Yeah I know what you mean, I do sometimes wonder if Toonie's rotation was good for the regularly injured. If selection policy means that you are only selected once in every two games (realistically one in three for Ashe with Strauss and Wilson about) and on top of that you're on the treatment table often it would be difficult to get games under the belt. Rennie on the other hand favours a policy of being either in or out, Ashe was quite evidently out even when he was fit last season.

by IanBru Wed 25 Jul 2018, 11:00 am

George Carlin wrote:I would remortgage Bru's secret third test!cle to have a CJ Stander or a Fat Billy available to us. The bizarre falling out of favour of Josh Strauss has never been explained to me and suddenly Denton is apparently our saviour despite an average record in poor Jeff teams.

Hey, you keep your hands off Milton.

I'll be the first to admit that Wilson has his physical limitations (ooo err missus), but he's one of those strange moneyball players where the team seems to perform better as a whole when he's on the pitch.

Some of Fagerson Madius' running in the summer series was sublime, but I'm slightly worried that he fades in and out of games. I assume his engine will improve with age and conditioning, but it's something to keep our eyes on. I suspect that our back row from 2020 onwards will be:

6. Bradbury
7. Watson
8. Fagerson
20. Love Child of George Horne and André the Giant

by jimbopip Wed 25 Jul 2018, 12:12 pm

No Bru, the 20 in 2020 will be the love chid of Ragnar The Pretty Fagerson and Smiley Carole Kirkwood. Very Happy

This works because
(1) it's within the realms of possibility; Andre's tragic demise makes his child bearing hips sadly redundant.
(2) With Ragnar's looks and Carole's heft he would be a smashing number 8.

I realise this is all piffle but hopefully we will now have twenty pages of various posters giving us a, admittedly deeply disturbing, glimpse into their inner world. Which might help fill the dog days till the season starts again.

by **George Carlin** Wed 25 Jul 2018, 12:50 pm

IanBru wrote:
George Carlin wrote:I would remortgage Bru's secret third test!cle to have a CJ Stander or a Fat Billy available to us. The bizarre falling out of favour of Josh Strauss has never been explained to me and suddenly Denton is apparently our saviour despite an average record in poor Jeff teams.
Hey, you keep your hands off Milton.

Post of the year

by jimbopip Wed 25 Jul 2018, 1:09 pm

Bru… is that Milton as in John Milton?

Certainly, "they also serve who only stand and wait" would be a rather fitting motto for a third testicle. (Especially if it killed the down time by getting a part-time job in the catering industry).

by IanBru Wed 25 Jul 2018, 2:18 pm

jimbopip wrote:Bru… is that Milton as in John Milton?

Certainly, "they also serve who only stand and wait" would be a rather fitting motto for a third testicle. (Especially if it killed the down time by getting a part-time job in the catering industry).

I was going to make a joke about the snake imagery in Paradise Lost and Milton having done his best work after he'd gone blind but... it's only Wednesday.

by funnyExiledScot Thu 26 Jul 2018, 9:19 am

A high brow chat about testicles. Only on 606v2....

by tigertattie Thu 26 Jul 2018, 9:53 am

funnyExiledScot wrote:A high brow chat about testicles. Only on 606v2....

Yeah, lets go back to talking about Carol Kirkwood!

by jimbopip Thu 26 Jul 2018, 9:57 am

IanBru wrote:
jimbopip wrote:Bru… is that Milton as in John Milton?

Certainly, "they also serve who only stand and wait" would be a rather fitting motto for a third testicle. (Especially if it killed the down time by getting a part-time job in the catering industry).
I was going to make a joke about the snake imagery in Paradise Lost and Milton having done his best work after he'd gone blind but... it's only Wednesday.

If we're considering snake imagery you can't beat Bessie Smith.
In her "Put a little sugar in my bowl (put a little sausage in my roll.)" She utters the immortal line,

"What you doin' down there? It's dark I can't see. Is that a snake?"

Ah poetry indeed.

Bradbury runs better lines, faster, more effectively than Dozer AND he can pass a ball. I don't buy the idea that an 8 must be a behemoth to be good. If he runs smart lines he can break the defensive line, if he has quick feet he can beat the defender, if he can see and execute a telling pass/offload he can beat a defence.

Consider Big Naka. Nobody raves about the fact that he runs over people. He can do that but mainly he runs past people and passes or offloads out of contact. All facets of the game which Dozer is unfamiliar with. Batman and Bradbury are way ahead of Dozer at 8 for me. A fit Barclay is ahead of him too.

by reallybored Thu 26 Jul 2018, 11:11 am

How can people advocate Fagerson at 8 but say Bradbury isn’t big enough?

Bradbury has 2/3 inch’s on Fagerson and at least 10kg.

by **RDW** Thu 26 Jul 2018, 11:13 am

I don't remember anyone saying Bradbury wasn't big enough at 8? He's certainly big enough to be an international 8 but isn't a behemoth compared to the players other nations have - Jimbo's point was size doesn't matter (something he's passionate about generally?) if they are very good in other parts of the game.

by tigertattie Thu 26 Jul 2018, 11:14 am

Bradbury could well be our answer at 8. He needs to get the game time there for Edinburgh thought which shouldn't be an issue with squad rotation etc.

Dozer does what Dozer does but no more and Batman is just all mouth and no trousers. Batman is a decent club 6 but he is no international 8!

by reallybored Thu 26 Jul 2018, 11:32 am

Bradbury started the season at 8 until his drunken inspection of the pavement and then Mata started playing out of his skin.

imo his greatest asset is his ball carrying, hopefully his exile on the flank will have had made him a more rounded player but he needs minutes at 8 ASAP.

I fear Fagerson won’t reach his potential if he’s continuously shifted around the back row, he’s not big enough to be a top class 8 (or 6). He should model his game on Ardie Savea, be an over powered powered open-side.

by jimbopip Thu 26 Jul 2018, 11:45 am

RDW_Scotland wrote: - Jimbo's point was size doesn't matter (something he's passionate about generally?) if they are very good in other parts of the game.

I assume that you have paid the appropriate royalties to MrsPip's father for quoting from his Father of the Bride speech?

Just as I typed that the deliveryman came to the door with my Warriors shirt A whole £12.99 from Macron. Plus £4537.09 p&p

by reallybored Thu 26 Jul 2018, 11:53 am

Is Robbie Nairn going to push on this season?

by **George Carlin** Fri 27 Jul 2018, 9:11 am

reallybored wrote:Is Robbie Nairn going to push one out this season?

He will if he plays for Glasgow.

Yours, RDW

by tigertattie Fri 27 Jul 2018, 9:40 am

George Carlin wrote:
reallybored wrote:Is Robbie Nairn going to push one out this season?
He will if he plays for Glasgow.

Up Yours, RDW

fixed that for you sir Hug

by des Fri 27 Jul 2018, 11:31 am

jimbopip wrote:
Hazel Sapling wrote:
He could have become world class considering how good he is without even playing. Reminds me of Ledley King from football (Wendyball in Jimboan) fame.

It's not quite "Wildean" but I have officially begat an adjective.

You guys

Also I have got tickets for the Sooth Effrikka game in November. I shall be with Bru and Caz the quiet Bokkie. One behaves like Niles Crane and the other is a six foot four ex-Springbok's Under 18's.

Also let's have no more silly talk of Matt Scott ever playing 12 for Scotland again. The two most inept defensive displays in recent memory were him at 12 against England at Twickers four years ago and him at 12 versus Samoa at St James' in the World Cup. Thankfully Toonie (for all his flakiness ) only picks players who can defend.

I think Matt Scott shoulders too much of the blame in that game. Bennett was probably worse.

by **RDW** Fri 27 Jul 2018, 1:55 pm

Good interview with Gregor Townsend

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/44929138

by funnyExiledScot Fri 27 Jul 2018, 8:07 pm

des wrote:
jimbopip wrote:
Hazel Sapling wrote:
He could have become world class considering how good he is without even playing. Reminds me of Ledley King from football (Wendyball in Jimboan) fame.

It's not quite "Wildean" but I have officially begat an adjective.

You guys

Also I have got tickets for the Sooth Effrikka game in November. I shall be with Bru and Caz the quiet Bokkie. One behaves like Niles Crane and the other is a six foot four ex-Springbok's Under 18's.

Also let's have no more silly talk of Matt Scott ever playing 12 for Scotland again. The two most inept defensive displays in recent memory were him at 12 against England at Twickers four years ago and him at 12 versus Samoa at St James' in the World Cup. Thankfully Toonie (for all his flakiness ) only picks players who can defend.

I think Matt Scott shoulders too much of the blame in that game. Bennett was probably worse.

Quite right. Based on Jimbo's analysis, Dunbar and Jones would also be banned from international rugby for letting Jonathan Joseph walk between them at will 2 years ago. Also All Price and Finn Russell for the complete horror show against Wales this season.

Let's have consistency Jimbo....

by jimbopip Sat 28 Jul 2018, 11:03 am

I think you're being selective in your memories there, Festering One.

Firstly; Huw Jones' defence is far and away the weakest part of his game. He's like a one man tribute to the Brazil 1970 side; we don't care how many you score we'll score more! At the moment, for Scotland, his tries outweigh his defensive incompetence. For Glasgow it's not quite so clear cut, to put it mildly.

Secondly; Brown should have been "shotgunning" from the tail of the line out allowing Dancer to defend outside him and Dunbar to step closer to, and support, Jones. The YC for Brown meant Dancer was flying out of the line and Dunbar was caught betwixt and between.

However, it was a particularly clueless spell of defending. Not at all acceptable at international level. Mind you, one dreadful match does not make Dunbar a poor defender: on the other hand (certainly in a Scotland jersey) Matt Scott after his shoulder injury is not the defender he was before it. Hopefully, he will show us that he is back to his best and make a real claim on the 12 jersey between now and Japan. But rather like Karen Gillan shinning up the drainpipe to scratch at my bedroom window in the small hours....I'm expecting to be disappointed. Again.

warning

Don't get me started on Cardiff. The first ten minutes where we controlled the game had me thinking it was going to be a good day. I have never seen a Scotland team disintegrate so completely after such a promising start. But that was the whole team, not just one or two people. Mind you, Aldi Price will have his work cut out this season; Horne the younger a rejuvenated Henners and Frodo could all be before him in the pecking order.

by Hazel Sapling Sat 28 Jul 2018, 12:27 pm

Has there been such a rapid fall from grace in Scotstish rugby as Price?

In November, the shirt was clearly his. In the space of 8 months, he has lost the starting Scotland jersey and maybe the Glasgow shirt. He might even lose out on being 3rd choice at the World Cup.

by jimbopip Sat 28 Jul 2018, 12:29 pm

Ms Sapling thank you for paraphrasing me so succinctly.
Or, as far as our eastern brethren are concerned, subtitles for the hard of thinking. Whistle

by Hazel Sapling Sat 28 Jul 2018, 6:16 pm

Well Jimbo, I did think of trying to defend Scott but there is no point. Until Cockerill accepts him, we don't know whether his tackling has improved.

The one who could really fall from grace in the next 6 months whilst staying healthy is H Jones. He really needs to have worked on his defensive positioning and his tackling this summer or else he risks doing a Price. The form of the Scotland players at Glasgow has generally fallen off last season so Rennie is really on the hot seat this season (Price, Russell, Seymour, Hogg, J Gray (not quite improving as hoped though still an excellent player), Dunbar, H Jones, Z Fagerson).

by jimbopip Sat 28 Jul 2018, 6:36 pm

Good points well made Hazel.

You do open an ugly can of worms: the players you mention were not at the absolute top of their game at the end of the season; DR made comments about Scottish players not accepting constructive criticism, rumours continue about H Jones being "unimpressed" with DR, many warriors' fans (including me) feeling that his "play the best 15 every week regardless" left us running on empty by the play offs. As I say an ugly, ugly can of worms.

This season will be death or glory for DR as a coach.

by **George Carlin** Sun 29 Jul 2018, 7:15 pm

I hope that Rennie is waiting for the Super Rugby season to finish before he admits that he's bought the entire Crusaders front five to play for the soapdodgers. I pray to Bill McLaren that this is the reason no new signings in the pack have been announced yet. picard

by funnyExiledScot Mon 30 Jul 2018, 11:00 pm

Don't worry GC, we'll go easy on you in the 1872 and pick our second string front row.

Oh, hang on, Berghan, Ford and Dell will still clean the floor with the Weegies...

Jimbo, don't you worry about Scott. He'll soon be teaching Peter Horne and Huw Jones how to defend in Scotland training sessions.

by **RDW** Tue 31 Jul 2018, 7:48 am

Hell our 3rd choice front row of Schoeman, Fenton and McCallum would even cause Glasgow problems!

by **George Carlin** Tue 31 Jul 2018, 8:36 am

RDW_Scotland wrote:Hell our 3rd choice front row of Schoeman, Fenton and McCallum would even cause Glasgow problems!

Scotland end of season summary and awards - Page 4 Kids-fight-dad-maximumble-1465389

by tigertattie Tue 31 Jul 2018, 11:25 am

RDW_Scotland wrote:Hell our 3rd choice front row of Schoeman, Fenton and McCallum would even cause Glasgow problems!

The North Berwick ladies 2nd XV front row would cause Glasgow problems!

by jimbopip Tue 31 Jul 2018, 11:26 am

funnyExiledScot wrote:Don't worry GC, we'll go easy on you in the 1872 and pick our second string front row.

Oh, hang on, Berghan, Ford and Dell will still clean the floor with the Weegies...

Jimbo, don't you worry about Scott. He'll soon be teaching Peter Horne and Huw Jones how to defend in Scotland training sessions.

Pre-season!!! Doncha just love it when touch is over and we begin "half-contact lads, but not too serious". Hug

Bhatti-Turner-Halunokonuka as our second choice isn't too shabby. We'll see once the real thing starts. Laugh

by EWT Spoons Tue 31 Jul 2018, 1:18 pm

Toonie, Taylor and Blair extend their contracts through to 2021

SRU wrote:Head Coach Gregor Townsend has extended his contract with the Scotland national team until 2021, together with extensions for his coaching staff of Matt Taylor and Mike Blair, Scottish Rugby announced today.

Scotland have averaged four tries a Test since Townsend took over in the summer of 2017, with the historic home and away wins over Australia and 2018 Six Nations victory over England among the notable highlights that helped Scotland finish third in the 2018 Six Nations and capture the imagination of the Scottish support.

He said: “I have always been incredibly proud to coach Scotland and I’m delighted and grateful to be able to extend my involvement with the national team.

“It’s a privilege to coach such a hardworking group of quality players, which is continuing to grow in depth.”

It’s great that the immediate future of our coaching staff has also been secured, as Matt (Taylor) and Mike (Blair) contribute massively to what we do as a group.

“We are really looking forward to Danny (Wilson) joining up with us, which will enable us to seek further improvements in how we can bring the best out of our players.

Scottish Rugby Chief Executive, Mark Dodson said: “I’m delighted that Gregor has decided to continue as Scotland Head Coach until 2021.

I was convinced that Gregor was going to make an outstanding Head Coach for Scotland and we’re delighted to have secured his services for the next three years, at a very exciting time for Scottish Rugby.

“It was also important to maintain the high level continuity created with the other world-class coaches within the national team set-up in Matt Taylor and Mike Blair and I’m very pleased they will continue to work alongside Gregor through to, and beyond, Rugby World Cup 2019."

Some 13 Test matches now stand between Scotland and Rugby World Cup 2019, including three Autumn Tests and the 2019 Six Nations, before four Summer Tests against France and Georgia present the players with the final opportunity to play their way into the 31-man squad heading to Japan.

After a bright start to his national team tenure, Townsend believes there is more to come for the men in blue.

Townsend added: “There’s certainly a lot of improvement to be found – both from us as coaches and also our playing performances – but we’ve also seen some excellent displays over the past season, as well as a genuine desire from the players to give their best for their country.

“I’ve been really pleased with the way the squad has come together whenever we’ve been in camp. The players have built strong relationships with each other, trained with intensity and learned quickly after any setbacks we have faced. They have also been terrific ambassadors for their country on tours or whenever they have interacted with our supporters.

“We’re well aware we’re entering a crucial and exciting time for this group, as we continue to seek improvements across the board and target a strong Autumn Test series and Six Nations, before our build up to the Rugby World Cup begins in earnest.

It’s an incredibly exciting time for the sport in Scotland.”

The new deal will see Assistant Coach Matt Taylor become the longest-standing Scotland coach since Scottish Rugby Hall of Famers Jim Telfer and Ian McGeechan, with the three-year contract taking him to almost a decade in service to the national team.

The former Border Reivers and Scotland A back-row returned to Scotland in 2012 after helping Queensland Reds to the 2011 Super Rugby title, first taking up a joint role with the national team and Glasgow Warriors – and winning the PRO12 title in 2015 – before focussing solely on Scotland since 2017.

Now, with the coaching group secured, Taylor believes the cohesion brought by the consistency can help maintain and even improve the fortunes of the national team.

He said: “It’s a great privilege to continue in my role as Assistant Coach, one in which I take great pride. It’s also great to be continuing my relationship and work with Gregor Townsend, who has really improved and strengthened the team in the last year and a half.

“It’s a role and a job that I’m really passionate about. Scottish Rugby has been really good to me and my family over the years and you want to back up and perform for an organisation of people who have looked after you.”

He continued: “I think the tour just past exposed some really good young players, which is exciting for Scotland, and those individuals who are now pressing for selection for the coming Test matches.

What’s exciting is that there’s plenty more to come for this Scotland team over this next year. We have a great opportunity to really push forward.”

Assistant Coach (Attack) Mike Blair – the country’s most-capped scrum-half and former captain – joined the national team coaching set-up ahead of the 2017 summer tour and continues to operate in a dual capacity with Glasgow Warriors, outwith Test-match windows. He has also extended his involvement with the national team for at least a further two years, committing to June 2020.

He said: “I am very proud to be able to continue to be part of the coaching group for the Scotland national team into what will be a very competitive and exciting couple of years.

“I enjoy the coaching dynamic with Gregor and Matt and I’m looking forward to working with Danny too. The playing group we have is hugely exciting and fully understands the positive, attacking game we want to, and can, play which makes coaching them a real pleasure. There is a lot of hard work ahead and I’m really looking forward to seeing what this group can achieve.”

Road to Rugby World Cup 2019:
2018 Autumn Tests: Scotland v Wales (A), Fiji, South Africa and Argentina (H)

2019 Six Nations: Scotland v Italy (H), Ireland (H), France (A), Wales (H) and England (A)

2019 Summer Tests: France (H & A), Georgia (H & A)

Scotland results in the Gregor Townsend tenure (P14, W9, L5):
Italy 13-34 Scotland

Australia 19-24 Scotland

Fiji 27-22 Scotland

Scotland 44-38 Samoa

Scotland 17-22 New Zealand

Scotland 53-24 Australia

Wales 34-7 Scotland

Scotland 32-26 France

Scotland 25-13 England

Ireland 28-8 Scotland

Italy 27-29 Scotland

Canada 10-48 Scotland

USA 30-29 Scotland

Argentina 15-44 Scotland

by funnyExiledScot Tue 31 Jul 2018, 10:32 pm

Good news. Pretty happy with our coaches at International level. We're playing some decent stuff, and the selections have been pretty solid, Ryan Wilson aside.

by funnyExiledScot Tue 31 Jul 2018, 10:34 pm

Also pleased we didn't grant the extensions right before the World Cup. Something teams have inexplicably done in the past.

by tigertattie Wed 01 Aug 2018, 10:17 am

I'm lost! I thought Taylor was offski so this young gun that Wasps were after could join us???

by **RDW** Wed 01 Aug 2018, 11:09 am

That's our forwards coach McFarland that is off

by tigertattie Wed 01 Aug 2018, 11:21 am

RDW_Scotland wrote:That's our forwards coach McFarland that is off

by **NeilyBroon** Wed 01 Aug 2018, 12:51 pm

tigertattie wrote:I'm lost! I thought Taylor was offski so this young gun that Wasps were after could join us???

Yep it is McFarland who's leaving sadly, though I did hear rumors that Taylor was looking elsewhere - perhaps for a head coach role. Whether these are substantiated or not I don't know but I don't think we can afford to lose both of them this season! Hoping Danny Wilson proves his worth with Scotland, he certainly has a good reputation.

In my opinion it's Glasgow who need sorting assistant-coach wise, watching their pack reminds me of the Red Dwarf episode when they go into a backwards reality. I guess Edinburgh too as Hodge seems to have hung on far longer than most of the fans would hope, though maybe he suits Cocker's direct style.

What I'd also like to see is the return of Richie Gray (the coach) - he did wonders with our defensive rucking when he came in as a consultant, where is he working at the moment?

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