Flexibility vital in all areas for Townsend to succeed

VERSATILITY is obviously the key for Gregor Townsend as he looks forward to the 2019 World Cup.

One eye-catching element of his first Scotland line-up is the ability of so many of the players to operate in more than one position.

The days of being a specialist in just one area are clearly long gone.

With a relatively small pool of players at his disposal compared to other nations, Townsend is actively encouraging his men to take themselves out of their comfort zones.

At full-back in his starting team to play Italy is Duncan Taylor (below), who plays most of his rugby in the centre or on the wing for Saracens.

As revealed by Sportsmail, fly-half Finn Russell has already been running at full-back for the first time with a view to being Taylor’s understudy.

Peter Horne is on the bench to cover centre and fly-half while Townsend has said that, in times of trouble, captain John Barclay and fellow back-row forward Ryan Wilson could both play in the centre.

Rob Harley is on the bench as cover for both the back-row forwards and at lock, while Wilson can cover any of three back-row positions as well as centre and is by far the most versatile of any of the Scots.

Throw into the mix replacement back-row Magnus Bradbury’s ability to play six and eight, you have a group of players who can adapt quickly to rapidly changing scenarios.

‘I’m a big believer in having flexibility and adaptability on the playing field, to adjust to different situations but also to play in different positions,’ said Townsend. ‘When you have a split of six forwards and just two backs on the bench for the Italy game, you must have confidence that some of those forwards can play in the backs as well — which I have with Wilson and Barclay.’ Townsend was one of the first Scotland players to show versatility during his career. He played in every position among the backs apart from on the wing. ‘When I was coming through as a player — and I felt this myself — you were told you should focus on one position,’ he recalled. ‘You didn’t want to be known as a jack of all trades and master of none. But when I went to France, it was seen as a positive if you could play in different positions and that is how I look on things from a Scotland point of view with the 2019 World Cup in mind.’ It’s a healthy attitude that’s sure to pay dividends for the future.