Strauss is dreaming of World Cup after pep talk from Townsend
Strauss recalls ‘pep’ talks from Townsend that told him he needed to graft more to end Scotland squad exile
IF the message wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear, the regular calls were appreciated all the same. Josh Strauss knew he would really have been in trouble if Gregor Townsend had not phoned to explain why he had been left out of yet another Scotland squad.
The Sale No 8, a late call-up for the autumn Tests as injuries wrecked Townsend’s first draft for the four-game series, will make his first international start since June 2017 when he takes to the field against Argentina tomorrow — a reward for displays off the bench against Fiji and South Africa.
Having spent 17 months out of the Scotland picture completely, and been forced to look on as four different players were given run-outs in ‘his’ position over a 12-game sequence, even just returning to the match-day 23 made for a pretty good comeback story for Strauss in its own right.
One year out from a World Cup, however, who says that the South African-born 32-year-old has to put a limit on his ambitions?
The former Warriors star certainly hasn’t been told to give up on his international dreams by former club boss Townsend.
Revealing a little of the process involved in dropping or continuing to exclude senior players, Strauss said: ‘I always got calls, even if I wasn’t selected. We would talk about why, what I could do, etc.
‘The summer tour last year, it was more about going for a younger team because I was in decent form at the end of the season for Sale.
‘There has always been that communication and Gregor and I have a good relationship. We obviously spent five years together at Glasgow, so I don’t think it was anything personal — hopefully!
‘It was just maybe me getting old and slow … hopefully I’ve become quicker in recent months!
‘It meant a lot to get those calls. If you’re getting those calls, at least the possibility is still there. It keeps your motivation going.
‘If you just don’t hear from the coach, you think: “Right, this is dead in the water.”
‘But that’s 50 per cent of the job as a coach, man management.’
Without giving away any state secrets, Strauss was happy to reveal the main message delivered by Townsend during those gentle let-downs/inspiring pep talks.
‘My big problem in my career has always been work rate,’ confessed the brilliant ball carrier, a sheepish grin creeping across his face. ‘I’m not the most stamina driven athlete in the world.
‘That’s always been the thing, just getting more involved. Even at Glasgow, Gregor was always about the work rate.
‘The more involvement you got with the game, obviously the more you’re switched-on. That was one thing he wanted to see more of from me. I sometimes just fall into that pattern of carrying the ball, not doing much for a while, then carrying the ball again.
‘He just wanted to see more from me. That was basically the chat — just as it was at Glasgow. You’ve got to get it right or you don’t play. So I wouldn’t say I’d put it (Scotland) out of my head completely.
‘When two or three squads are picked and you’re not involved, I mean, it’s still not something I thought was done. But I got to the point where I just started thinking: “Just focus on your game at Sale. That’s all you can do”.
‘All I could do was play well for Sale and, if I was good enough, I’d get picked. If I wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t going to get picked. I just focused on the controllable.’
Tomorrow, Strauss will be charged with helping the pack get a grip on some of the slipshod areas exposed by the Springboks last week.
Against an Argentina side not normally cast in the role of shrinking violets, the Scots must find a way to compete at the breakdown, in particular.
‘We need to get the physical side right because, at times, we were just basically outmuscled by South Africa at the breakdown,’ said Strauss, who replaced Ryan Wilson for the closing 20-odd minutes in last weekend’s loss.
‘That’s part of my job. Most of my focus this week has been on generating go-forward ball and I relish ball carrying.
‘But the other part of it is being dominant in contact. If you’re one of the bigger guys in the back row, you’ve got to dominate. That means in defence, at breakdown, mauling and obviously providing a bit of weight at the back of the scrum. So my job this week is to add a bit of dominance for the weekend, hopefully.’ The other responsibility falling on the shoulders of such a senior player obviously involves a degree of leadership. But playing the part of a greybeard in such a young group has come as something of a shock to a guitar-wielding character who, by his own admission, still likes to think of himself as a teenager. Laughing as he revealed some of the blank stares among the kids when movies or music older than a decade enters the conversation, he insisted: ‘I mean, I’ve always seen myself as someone who is very young at heart. I still feel 18 in my head. Obviously the body tells me differently but it’s good, it keeps you young, keeps you excited about rugby, when the younger boys are there and you’re mingling with them.
‘I come from a different background, in South Africa, where it was a bit tougher when you were young. The older boys wouldn’t really speak to you.
‘There’s a British culture, or maybe it’s just change over time, where everyone is integrated much better, a much better fit.’
There have been some concessions to passing years, though. For one thing, being on the other side of 30 takes off a little of the pressure when thoughts turn to long-term ambitions.
Just back in the group, Strauss is hardly going to block-book the World Cup on his calendar, as he admitted: ‘The age thing makes that easier. Because you never know where you’re at. At this age, you get injured more easily.
‘But it’s always been my focus, since I started at 19, just thinking about the week ahead.
‘If you look too far ahead, you lose sight of what’s in front of you. I think that’s worked for me so far.’
It was good enough, this time, to get a different sort of call from Gregor. It’s good to talk.
And better when the message can be edited down to a simple: ‘Bring your boots, your A-game and your best attitude. Your country needs you.’