mens
nations-championship
Gregor Townsend believes that experience can help him Scotland side as they try to break their duck against New Zealand.
Scotland have never won All black people in 33 previous meetings but have given them some challenging games in recent years and Townsend is counting on those near misses to help his players when the teams meet in Nations Championship in Edinburgh on Saturday.
The last four meetings have been decided by eight points or less and Scotland battled back from losing their opening 17 points last year to level and look the more likely winners until Damian McKenzie struck late for the visitors.
Winger Kyle Rowe and second-row forward Gregor Brown are the only two players in Townsend’s starting line-up with fewer than 20 games, but both will reach that milestone on Saturday.
Townsend said: “A lot of people in the sport know the All Blacks are an iconic rugby team. But our players have played against them so that will help.”
“It helps again that we will be playing at Murrayfield. The atmosphere at this game in recent years has been incredible. Sometimes for different reasons, with Doddie (Weir) being at the game in 2017 with his family.
But I also think the way these two teams play sets it up for open rugby, and I think our fans appreciate when the All Blacks come, but I also think they appreciate how we play against them.”
Townsend will face his successor as Glasgow head coach, Dave Rennie, in the opposite dugout.
“They are playing great rugby at the moment and this is our first game of the season, which is always the hardest challenge for us,” he said.
“It’s different New Zealand team. It is a team that plays much more ambitious rugby. They are informed, they are cohesive. They played a lot of test matches during the summer.
“We’re going to have to find ways to win, find ways to stay in the fight because they’re going to have a lot of possession as well.”
Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie were handed starting spots on the wing while Townsend named 10 Glasgow players in his starting line-up.
Former Glasgow center Huw Jones will reform his partnership with Sione Tuipulotu in midfield, while Warriors’ Rowe starts at full-back.
Finn Russell and Ben White form the half-back partnership, while there are six Glasgow players in the group: Rory Sutherland, Zander and Matt Fagerson, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings and Rory Darge.
Former Warriors number eight Jack Dempsey, now at Toshiba Brave Lupus, also starts alongside Edinburgh whore Ewan Ashman.
Gregor Hiddleston will take care of the whore on the bench alongside his fellow strikers Pierre Schoeman, Will Hurd, Max Williamson and Josh Bayliss.
Scrum-half George Horne and versatile backs Tom Jordan and Blair Kinghorn make the substitutions.