GREGOR Townsend has a 100 per cent record against Australia as Scotland’s head coach, having beaten them home and away in 2017, then defeated them again at BT Murrayfield last year.
However, as he prepares to face up to the Wallabies once more on Saturday in the first of four Tests in this year’s Autumn Nations Series, he is extremely wary of a team he believes has been battle-hardened by the Rugby Championship.
Dave Rennie’s team came third out of four in the annual fight for southern hemisphere supremacy, beating Argentina away and South Africa at home but losing their other four outings. In the end they finished a point ahead of the Pumas thanks to the losing bonus they picked up in an epic 39-37 defeat by the All Blacks, and although their other three losses were by far wider margins, Townsend believes they could bounce back all the stronger from those adverse experiences.
“We obviously had a very tight game against them last year,” the Scotland coach said after naming a squad of 40 for the Series, in which his team will also face Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina in the coming weeks. “I didn’t think we played that well but we just did enough to win.
“Australia come into this fixture with more match fitness or battle hardness. They’ve had the Rugby Championship and we’ve got to hit the ground running.
“They’re a really good attacking side, they’re very dangerous and they know each other really well. I was over watching them play against New Zealand two or three weeks ago, so that’s a team that’s been together for a long time, playing against some really good teams. They’ve got strengths all throughout their game, but I think attack is their biggest strength.”
Attack – of the creative, unpredictable variety – is normally one of Scotland’s biggest strengths when Finn Russell is wearing the No.10 jersey, and the controversial omission from the squad of the Racing 92 playmaker places a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Blair Kinghorn. The Edinburgh stand-off seems sure to start at 10 against the Wallabies ahead of Glasgow’s Ross Thompson, who has not played much this season due to injury.
Adam Hastings of Gloucester, the third fly-half in the squad, has not been released by his club for the Australia game as it takes place outside the international window. He can, however, expect to see action in the subsequent fixtures.
The fact that selection for Saturday will be restricted to Edinburgh and Warriors players means Townsend will also be without Stuart Hogg. The Exeter full-back has not regained the captaincy after sitting out the summer tour – the honour has gone to Jamie Ritchie instead – but Townsend believes that his value to the squad could thereby be enhanced rather than diminished.
“It’s important that as a coaching group we energise Stuart,” he added. “Our aim is to get the best out of Stuart and he will work very hard to achieve that. Getting that summer off, having his knee operated on, should set him up for a massive 12 months.
“He’s started the season a month later than he normally would if he hadn’t had the op, so that might make him fresher come the end of the season. The amount of minutes he played last year was huge, but he loves the game that much that he kept turning out for us and for Exeter when he wasn’t maybe physically in the best shape.
“When I got dropped as captain I was quite glad, because Rob Wainwright came back from injury. I was only captain for two games for Scotland and wasn’t ready for it.
“But picturing myself in Stuart’s shoes now, it would have been more disappointing if I had been there for a couple of years or more. So it will be disappointing, but captains change a lot in groups, in Scotland teams.
“My personal view is that the players won’t see it as a huge change, as we’ll be hoping Stuart speaks as much as the other leaders. Anyone in the team can speak if they feel it is right.”
