I WON’T FORGET COTTER
Fired-up Wilson won’t forget his legacy
RYAN WILSON can’t wait to play for Scotland on home turf for the first time under Gregor Townsend.
But the fired-up breakaway ace insisted he still loves old boss Vern Cotter.
Wilson – who has helped turn Glasgow into runaway Pro14 pacesetters – believes the legacy of the big Kiwi should not be forgotten when the Scots go into autumn Test battle with the tough guys of Samoa today.
He said: “I love Vern – he was brilliant. Vern would go out with a plan – and then change it halfway through training.
“Gregor is different. He is meticulous with his planning. He has everything down to the smallest detail. “Vern was a really passionate guy. He wasn’t from Scotland but bought into it. You’d think he was Scottish when he spoke about Scotland. Gregor’s played for Scotland so he knows what it’s like to be out on that pitch.” Wilson will share vice-captain duties with Glasgow team-mate Stuart Hogg under the on-field rule of John Barclay. And he said: “It’s a huge honour to fill that role for my country. Obviously I’ll be looking to do my bit as a player first and foremost – while hoping others will follow. “I’ll also do my utmost to support the new guys in the team. “Knowing we will have more than 60,000 fans at Murrayfield will be a massive spur. “Continuity has been important. Although we’ve got plenty of fresh faces, the core is the squad who will probably be pushing on to the Six Nations and then the World Cup in a couple of years.” And Wilson isn’t expecting anything other than a severe examination from the Pacific Islanders.
He said: “Samoa will be very tough opposition. We remember how hard they made things for us in the last World Cup down at St James’ Park.
“We expect more of the same from a team that will throw the ball around. They’ve got some outstanding individuals and they’re so unpredictable.
“With the ball in hand they’re so dangerous and we’ll have to be at our best to beat them.”
Wilson is sure Scotland will have learned lessons from their loss to Fiji in their last outing during the summer.
He said: “With South Seas teams, if you try to copy them you probably won’t get near them. In that Fiji game some of their offloading skills were world class.
“We know what we’ve got to do to counter that against Samoa. We have to stick to our game plan and make sure we don’t get carried away with the type of rugby they play.”
Wilson also reckons the financial plight of Samoan rugby could act as a spur to them. And he added: “These things can bring players together and inspire them. I’m sure they’ll want to make a point.
“They’ll want to show they’re a nation who should be playing at the top level. It’ll make them a stronger team.”
Scotland assistant Dan McFarland will today embark on his quest to turn them into the speed merchants of world rugby with an order to run Samoa ragged.
McFarland said: “We want to be the quickest team of all. We’re determined to play with pace.
“We’re a fit group of guys – we have some who can run
fast and for a long time. That is what we will try to take advantage of. It’s an attractive brand of rugby, the kind people want to watch.
“It also suits the Scottish legacy. I grew up watching the old Five Nations. I remember in particular watching Finlay Calder and John Jeffrey. These guys made us fall in love with the game.”