Pep talk could be recipe for Scots success

LONDON: Two days spent with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has given Scotland’s rugby coach Gregor Townsend some ideas which could help him guide his country to their first ever Six Nations title.

Townsend, who was a member of the Scotland team that clinched the last Five Nations crown in 1999, and his side laid down a marker as serious contenders for the Six Nations with a thumping win over Australia and a narrow defeat by world champions New Zealand last November.

The 44-year-old former fly-half said Guardiola’s passion had made a big impression.

“The biggest thing about meeting Pep was seeing a coach so passionate about the details of coaching,” said Townsend, who was speaking at the launch of the Six Nations which gets underway on February 3.

“It’s about how to bring the best out of players, not tactics and the bigger picture, more about the details of how he gets his game over. He was so excited about it.

“He talked a lot about rugby as well, he loves rugby, and how you have to look forward because we pass the ball back. That’s a great philosophy that he feels applies to football.

“As a coaching group we encourage each other to learn from different sources.”

Townsend, who gave Guardiola a signed Scotland jersey as a sign of appreciation, said it had been an invaluable experience spending time with the two-time Champions League winning coach, who has guided Manchester City into a virtually unassailable 12-point lead in the Premier League this season.

“Hearing a coach that was so passionate about coaching - probably the most successful coach in the game just now -- it was great to have that moment and connection with him,” said Townsend.

“You always pick up things you can use specifically when you visit a sporting organisation that is very successful and it could be the facility, what they’re doing in training.

“There were definitely transferable messages that he likes to give to his players about off-the-ball effort, which is very important to us as a rugby team.”

Townsend, who took over the reins as head coach from New Zealander Vern Cotter in June last year after a successful stint as Glasgow Warriors boss, said it was an exciting time for the northern hemisphere competition.