Warrior nation

Glasgow had 17 in Scotland squad so Toony will have no trouble adapting

MIKE BLAIR insists Gregor Townsend can enjoy a seamless transition from Glasgow to Scotland – because the bulk of his squad have already done the business for him at club level.

The former Dark Blues scrum-half believes his old Warriors colleague is more than capable of progressing the national side after replacing Vern Cotter.

Half of those called up to Toony’s first Scotland squad for next month’s summer tour play their rugby at Scotstoun.

And Blair, part of Townsend’s backroom staff as skills coach, said: “There have been 17 Glasgow players involved in the recent squads so they all know Gregor well.

“That’s excellent for the players as they will be able to pick up what Gregor wants from them very quickly.

“He watches so much rugby and will know his players inside out – he has all that information behind him already.

“There is also continuity with Matt Taylor on the defensive side of things. There will be that continuity but there will be a bit of freshness around the place as well with some good ideas.” Scotland’s most-capped scrum-half is adamant his gaffer has all the tools to translate success at club level having also been part of the national set-up before. Blair added: “Gregor has had five very good years with Glasgow and moved us on from a team challenging for the playoffs to a side that won the competition. “He also guided us into the quarterfinals of Europe for the first time so he has shown his skills within the coaching game. The timing is right for him. “Vern has done an excellent job but having a coach of Gregor’s level to come in and push things on is a brilliant opportunity for Scottish rugby.” Meanwhile, Edinburgh have signed Scotland Under-20 stars Callum Hunter-Hill, Hugh Fraser and Tom Galbraith from London Scottish on full-time pro deals. ● Mike Blair is a member of The Royal Bank RugbyForce, bringing his coaching experience to help grassroots clubs improve their coaching expertise. To register for a chance to have Mike join your club, visit www.scottishrugby. org/rugbyforce