IT WAS only on Saturday night that Gregor Townsend announced he had decided on 90 per cent of his squad for the first Test against Argentina. In reality, however, he surely reached that position weeks ago.
Even before leaving Scotland, the head coach said his plan for the first week in Santiago was for one team to train to face Chile and another to prepare for the Pumas. There will have to be some overlap between the two games - with a total of 39 players in the squad, at least seven who saw action in the ‘A’ team’s 45-5 win against the Condors will be in the 23 this weekend too. Nonetheless, that separation into two groups was a clear indication that Townsend has a very firm idea of how he wants Scotland to line up for the opening match in the three-Test series, which takes place this Saturday in Jujuy.
