Scotland’s Gregor Townsend era kicks off in earnest on Saturday when they play familiar opponents, Italy, in the most unlikely of settings. The match will be the first top-tier Test to be played in Singapore when the sides meet in the National Stadium in Kallang.
The fixture is expected to attract a crowd of 10,000 to 20,000 and is the first of summer tours for both sides which will also feature fixtures against Australia and Fiji.
Scotland may have a new head coach but Townsend’s opposite number, Conor O’Shea, does not expect many changes in the way Scotland play. The Irishman believes that Townsend was already a major influence on the side and, now that he is formally in charge, a revolution is unlikely. O’Shea hopes his side can challenge Scotland more in their historic first Test in Southeast Asia than they did when they were beaten 29-0 by the same opponents in March.
“Gregor already had his hands all over Scottish rugby and the way they play,” O’Shea said. “It would be naïve, when Scotland have two districts [pro teams] that play the way they do, and with the success Glasgow have had over the last number of years, to say he has not been a catalyst. It is great for somebody as passionate as he is, as a player and coach, to be doing the job he is doing; I am sure he will be an amazing success. For us, we are on a long hard road but, when you look at Scottish and Irish rugby, there are plenty of examples that, if you make changes, as we are doing, you can succeed.”
Townsend certainly feels pretty comfortable with the way that Scotland were playing under Vern Cotter, so the change in coaches is likely to be an evolutionary step rather than a revolutionary one. “I believe that a lot of way Scotland have played in recent times is something we want to build on,” he said. “There is a need to play with freedom and move the ball quickly, with players making appropriate decisions: that is what want to build on first. There will be technical and tactical details, there will be changes but the general principles of how we want to play won’t be too dissimilar to what has gone on in the past. We want to see our strengths out there; Scottish strengths are working hard, strong defence and playing at pace.”
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He continued: “It still feels a bit unreal arriving for my first Test match in Singapore. The last three weeks, from a coaching perspective, have been real; it has started. You put a game plan together, you are working with the players and getting to know some. You have the tracksuit on.
“The players have a lot of confidence. They have worked hard over a number of years and the success is starting to come, which is great. We have to carry on that momentum. My goal is to help the team improve. With improvements comes winning. You want to be a support for the players, to carry on the good work that has gone on, help the team reach its potential and win more games.”