Skipper out to Can the Scots
RUGBY SUMMER TOUR Brown warns Townsend that van der Merwe will have side fired up to capture big scalp
KELLY BROWN has warned Gregor Townsend that Canada skipper DTH van der Merwe will have his men fired up on Saturday.
Former Scotland captain Brown, 35, has unique insight into both squads ahead of the first match of Scotland’s summer tour in Edmonton.
Last year the up-and-coming coach worked with Canada before teaming up with Scotland during the Autumn Tests and Six Nations.
Scotland are sixth in the world with Canada 21st and the tourists should win comfortably.
But Brown believes Glasgow winger van der Merwe will want to take a big scalp against players he knows so well.
Brown said: “DTH van der Merwe is a talismanic figure in Canadian rugby and he will want his SCOTLAND World Cup star Richie Vernon has clinched a deal to join ambitious London Scottish.
The versatile player is making the switch from Glasgow, where he has spent a decade.
Vernon said: “It was a unique opportunity too good to pass up.” side to start their run of summer games with a bang. “They still have a chance of the World Cup and that will be their focus. I loved my time with the Canada guys last year, they work ever so hard. “But because they are not all full-time professionals it can be hard to get as much work done as you would like because the time with them is limited. “However, they nearly beat us in my final Test for Scotland in 2014, so there is no way the current team will take them lightly. Knowing Gregor’s attention to detail he will be leaving no stone unturned for this one.” Brown feels the next three weeks are a great opportunity for the young back-rows in the squad to put their hands up and show what they can do.
He said: “The way Matt Fagerson has come through this year at Glasgow at just 19 has been very impressive to watch while Jamie Ritchie is a clever rugby player.
“That can really show Gregor and the forwards coaches what they are all about in the next few weeks.
“When Scotland have headed into World Cups before we have tended to have quite a settled squad to pick from but you can see from the first year of Gregor’s tenure that he is trying to create a wider pool of capped players.
“With Grant Stewart having been called up to this squad late there are now seven uncapped players on the tour.
“Most will get some game time and they know that if they do well then they can push for Autumn Test places and beyond.
“It is great Gregor is putting his faith in younger guys.”