WHEN a team look rusty but perform positively in many ways, a coach’s first instinct is to give them another run-out as soon as possible. But by the same token, when some key players become available after missing a match, any coach would at least give serious consideration to bringing them straight back into the side.
That is the balancing act that Gregor Townsend faces this week after seeing his Scotland team lose 16-15 to Australia on Saturday. It was a match that might well have been won, and while aspects of the game such as discipline clearly need work, other areas functioned well.
