McInally has what it takes to be captain, says Scotland coach

GREGOR Townsend reckons Stuart McInally proved with his actions during the epic 38-38 draw against England that he has what it takes to be an effective captain of Scotland,

The Edinburgh hooker will have the armband for the first of four World Cup warm-up matches in Nice on Saturday night, even though previous captain John Barclay is included in the back row.

While the Scotland head coach will experiment with his line-ups in the back-to-back matches against France and Georgia as he whittles down his squad to 31 players for this summer’s showpiece in Japan, the Edinburgh man would seem to be an early favourite for the role of World Cup captain given the competition with Greig Laidlaw has from Ali Price for his starting spot at scrum-half.

Whatever happens, Townsend is confident in the “leadership group” he has in his squad, something emphasised by the charge-down and 60-yard dash from McInally that changed the complexion of last year’s Six Nations draw at Twickenham.

“He [McInally] was captain in our last two Six Nations games,” said Townsend. “He lifted the Calcutta Cup and we believe there is good continuity there.

“We are aware John Barclay was the captain the previous season but with John not playing as many games and no international games for 12 months, we feel his position this week as vice-captain will be to focus on his game and also support Stuart alongside Stuart Hogg in that strong leadership group.

“Stuart is someone who leads by example on the field. He trains at a very high level and loves the defensive side of the game, which is very important. He can talk with authority on that side of the game.

“That game against England was a very tough one to be captain in when you are going behind the posts on a number of occasions in the first half. Sometimes when it has not been working you have to change through actions. His chargedown on Owen Farrell and his 60-metre run to the try line really lifted the spirits of the group.

“He is really capable of that. He is learning as a captain and is someone who is open to learning as a captain. He is open to bring in support and listen to voices elsewhere in the team.

“We have had players who have captained the side over the past two seasons including

Greig [Laidlaw], John Barclay and Stuart. We will make that decision over World Cup captain over the next few weeks.”