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Gregor Townsend shoots down rumours of a raid on his Scotland staff
By Bryn Palmer
Scotland are hoping to play two Tests in the Pacific Islands next July while the British and Irish Lions are on tour in Australia.
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Head coach Gregor Townsend revealed after Sunday’s 27-13 win over the Wallabies that one of the fixtures will almost certainly be against Fiji, where the Scots lost 27-22 back in 2017 in only Townsend’s third game in charge.
Scotland beat the South Sea Islanders, currently ranked ninth in the world, 57-17 earlier this month in their first game of the Autumn Nations Series.
“Fiji, we believe, is definitely one of the games,” Townsend said after revealing a tour “to the South Seas” was in the process of being organised.
“And we’re trying to add another game as well, whether that’s in New Zealand or in the Islands. So it’s meant to be two Tests.
“But we are looking at whether we can play a third or even a fourth game, just to build on what we did last summer, giving more players a chance to play, which we thought was a real success, playing those four games.”
Scotland’s tour of North and South America last summer featured Tests in Canada, United States, Chile and Uruguay, with 11 players handed their international debuts.
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Townsend indicated that any match in New Zealand would not be a Test however, but “probably a midweek game”, likely to be against either a provincial or representative side, such as the NZ Maori.
A combined invitational team featuring Super Rugby players from Australia and New Zealand are scheduled to play the Lions in Adelaide on 12 July, a week before the first of three Tests against the Wallabies.
Townsend was an attack coach under previous Lions head coach Warren Gatland for the Covid-affected 2021 tour of South Africa.
But he said he has not had any contact with Gatland’s successor Andy Farrell, who is expected to start putting his coaching team in place when he begins his Lions sabbatical next week following Ireland’s final autumn Test against Australia.
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Asked if he expected Farrell to be in touch, Townsend said: “I don’t know. He’s still the Ireland coach. I think now is the time where he moves on from Ireland next week and becomes Lions coach. So no, there’s not been any contact.”
The 51-year-old, who enjoyed a key role in the Lions’ epic 1997 series victory in South Africa as a player, was reticent about whether he would welcome another opportunity to coach the storied tourists.
“We’ll see,” he added. “The focus is on the Six Nations and Scotland. And also we have a tough tour as well.”
Townsend also played down speculation that his Welsh defence coach Steve Tandy could be a prime target for Wales if they decide to end Warren Gatland’s second spell as head coach following 12 straight Test defeats.
“He’s contracted to us, so I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he said.
Townsend acknowledged that Lions selection would be an additional driver for his players as they attempt to launch a credible challenge for a first Six Nations title, having failed to finish higher than third – twice – during his tenure.
Eight Scots – Stuart Hogg, Duhan van der Merwe, Chris Harris, Finn Russell, Ali Price, Rory Sutherland, Zander Fagerson and Hamish Watson – were chosen for the 2021 tour, the most since Scotland supplied nine players to the 1989 squad for Australia.
The likes of Russell, Van der Merwe and Fagerson will be strong contenders for another tour, while others such as full-back Blair Kinghorn, wing Darcy Graham, centres Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, prop Pierre Schoeman and back-rowers Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey are likely to be part of the selection conversation.
“Obviously, to be playing well consistently for your clubs and also during November is important but the Lions selectors and coaches will meet post-Six Nations,” Townsend added.
“They’ll be looking at those big games, and obviously Six Nations are huge games. So it’ll be in the back of the players’ minds but what’s most important is how they can help Scotland win.”
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