Rugby World Cup: 'Outsiders' Scotland will 'go after' South Africa & Ireland - Townsend

1 year ago 22

Scotland caput manager Gregor Townsend with skipper Jamie Ritchie

Scotland instrumentality assurance and a "nothing to suffer mentality" to the Rugby World Cup, said caput manager Gregor Townsend.

The Scots kick-off against defending champions South Africa and besides look Grand-Slam winning Ireland successful Pool B.

"South Africa and Ireland volition beryllium favourites against us," said Townsend aft naming his 33-man squad.

"We'll beryllium outsiders but that gives america a thing to suffer mentality. We conscionable request to absorption connected delivering our crippled and spell aft the opposition."

Scotland are connected an eight-match losing streak against the Irish and person 1 triumph successful 15 against South Africa.

However, Townsend is heartened by finishing 3rd successful the Six Nations and 2 precise adjacent encounters with tourney hosts France this month.

"Even though we are 5th successful the world, we're playing teams ranked supra america - and our fractional of the gully has 2 different teams from the apical 4 successful the satellite (New Zealand and France)," helium added.

"But we've shown we tin people tries against precise bully teams - location and away, truthful we cognize we tin present erstwhile it counts.

"It's a young squad increasing successful belief. You get that from going to places similar Twickenham and coming distant with a win, you get that from being a lucifer for the apical teams successful the world."

Townsend, who suffered the disappointment of excavation signifier elimination successful Japan 4 years ago, described his squad arsenic "the champion radical of players I've ever worked with".

"There are a batch of encouraging signs," helium said. "What the players did successful the Six Nations has got america down a way that we privation to bash much of, playing astatine speed, giving our champion shot carriers much opportunities to person a spell astatine the defence.

"Probably the cardinal happening for america arsenic coaches is seeing however good the players person connected implicit these past 2 months. The prime they are bringing retired successful training, we're starting to spot that much and much successful our game."

'We person to bring our champion crippled consecutive away'

A 2nd drawstring broadside eked retired a 25-13 triumph implicit Italy successful Edinburgh astatine the extremity of July, portion Scotland and France traded constrictive location wins successful the pursuing mentation Tests.

There volition beryllium 1 last farewell outing against Georgia astatine Murrayfield connected 26 August.

"It would beryllium bully to person much warm-up games," said Townsend. "You spell into a World Cup arsenic a bluish hemisphere squad with conscionable a mates of games, possibly three, for the players who volition beryllium starting against South Africa.

"From Saturday nighttime successful Saint Etienne we've seen signs that we tin get our crippled retired this aboriginal successful the season.

"We cognize that situation of playing the satellite champions is simply a large one, truthful we person to bring our champion crippled consecutive away. We've seen advancement week to week and that's what we'll beryllium moving on.

"We judge that we tin beryllium a lucifer for anyone. We inactive haven't knocked disconnected Ireland implicit the past fewer years. We did good against them for 50 minutes this play but we didn't bash it for 80 minutes.

"It volition person to beryllium 80-minute performances against South Africa and Ireland successful particular.

"That means erstwhile you don't person the shot you're inactive arsenic strong, making it precise pugnacious for them to score, that means delivering your champion scrum and lineout and past successful onslaught playing similar we've been doing this year, gathering much accuracy into our game, and taking the opportunities erstwhile they come."