BARCLAY CAN LEAD 2019 CHARGE
JOHN BARCLAY has been tipped to lead Scotland into the 2019 World Cup. The 31-year-old flanker was named skipper of the national side after Greig Laidlaw was injured during the last Six Nations and has since taken to the role with aplomb. With Laidlaw still missing, Barclay will now captain Gregor Townsend’s men in the three-match Test series against Samoa, New Zealand and Australia next month. And assistant head coach Matt Taylor believes that, if Barclay stays fit, he has the experience and talent to lead the side all the way to Japan. ‘We are lucky to have a player of his quality with us,’ said Taylor, with the Scarlets back-row having just recovered from a head knock. ‘He has played really well over the last couple of years and I am hopeful he can play for another couple of years and lead us into the World Cup.’
Sportsmail revealed yesterday, in an exclusive extract from Warren Gatland’s new book, that the quality and consistency of Barclay’s play during the last Six Nations almost led to a Lions call-up. He was not the only Scot unlucky to miss out, with the Lions head coach admitting his decisions were ‘hard’ on the Scotland players. ‘We were a little bit disappointed (not to have more Scots in the Lions squad), but he is the coach and has to make decisions and that was the way it went,’ said Taylor of Gatland’s admission. ‘We were just lucky that we had a few more guys for our tour and managed to knock off Australia. ‘Having John is a bonus as he is an excellent leader, brings a lot of experience and gives the guys a lot of confidence. ‘I think the way he talks to the referee is excellent because he builds a really good rapport. ‘If you look at all the really good rugby teams around the world, their captains all build good relationships with referees. ‘They get them onside and know how to talk to them, when to push things and went to pull back. I think John is very good at that. ‘He has played really well over the last couple of years and I am hopeful he can play for another couple of years and can lead us into the World Cup.’