‘Tough to drop hat-trick hero’
● Townsend says Maitland’s experience got him nod over Kinghorn for Ireland clash
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend admitted it was a difficult decision to drop hattrick hero Blair Kinghorn for tomorrow’s Guinness Six Nations crunch against champions Ireland at BT Murrayfield but argued the experience of the returning Sean Maitland was impossible to ignore.
Left-wing Kinghorn became the first Scot to score a Six Nations hat-trick in the 33-20 win over Italy and was named player of the opening round but is on the bench against Ireland with Saracens’ Maitland having recovered from a hamstring injury. Maitland’s fellow British and Irish Lion, Tommy Seymour, keeps his place on the other wing.
Townsend said of the selection process: “It was more difficult than what we planned it was going to be the week before. We were always hoping Sean would get back fit for this game. Sean would have been starting against Italy with Tommy Seymour if he’d been fit.
“Blair’s performance did mean that we had an extended discussion that probably went on a second day, but we believe that Tommy and Sean are best equipped for this game.
“Nothing should be taken away from Blair’s performance and what he could do if he was selected this week. To have the three of them available to us, one off the bench, means we’ve got stronger cover at back three than ever before.”
Maitland is one of four changes to Townsend’s starting line-up. As expected, tighthead WP Nel misses out with a calf tear and Edinburgh clubmate Simon Berghan steps in.
Exeter forward Sam Skinner had already been ruled out with an ankle injury so Ryan Wilson shifts to blindside and Josh Strauss starts at No 8.
Townsend expressed hope that both Nel and Skinner could be back in contention for the trip to Paris in a couple of weeks.
Jonny Gray is back from a shoulder injury to partner Grant Gilchrist in the second row, with Ben Toolis dropping to a bench where uncapped prop D’arcy Rae takes the spot vacated by Berghan.
The Glasgow pair of hooker Fraser Brown and centre Pete Horne are back from knee injuries and their fellow Warrior Rob Harley covers the back row.
After a first cap against Italy, settling his eligibility following a dalliance with England, there is no place for Newcastle flanker Gary Graham, while his clubmate John Hardie has picked up a knee injury.
Townsend said 22-year-old Kinghorn had taken the disappointment in his stride.
The head coach said: “Players take it differently. Sometimes they’re quiet, sometimes they’re accepting and sometimes they argue back. Blair was quiet. He’ll be disappointed, I know.
“Wehaveahugeresponsibility
“We had an extended discussion but we believe that Tommy and Sean are best equipped for this game”
Plotting what would be a seismic Scottish victory over Six Nations champions Ireland at BT Murrayfield has been complicatedforheadcoachgregor Townsend by the prospect of wild conditions in the capital this weekend.
A yellow weather warning has been issued for high winds,whichthecoachadmits may mean tweaking the gameplan for the visit of a world No 2-ranked Irish side looking to save their title defence following defeat by England in Dublin last Saturday. In short, it may not be an afternoon for one of those floated Finn Russell wonder passes.
“One thing we’ve got our eye on as well is the weather,” said Townsend. “The team run [at the stadium today] looks to be nice with 40mph winds and rain and it’s going to be very windy on Saturday.
“It might be a different game than we played on Saturday against Italy when it was near perfect playing conditions.”
The coach conceded that the weather may render some of what the squad have been working on in the pristine environment of their state-ofthe-art indoor Oriam base null and void come kick-off tomorrow afternoon.
“Yes, we’ll have to have that [switching gameplans] as an option. Certain plays or certain styles of play that we’ve planned might work against Ireland, if it is very windy and we have to play against the wind or with the wind we’d change things tactically.”
Townsend is fully expecting a gale-force response from Ireland this week and doesn’t feel that a raft of injuries has made Joe Schmidt’s side any less formidable.
“I think the depth they have is amazing,” he said. “When it looked like [Garry] Ringrose was going to miss out you bring Rob Kearney back in and put [Robbie] Henshaw to 13. Now [Henshaw’s] out, Chris Farrell is a very good player, he’s strong and when he played for Ireland last year I thought he was outstanding until he picked up an injury.
“They’re going to be very direct in that midfield with him and Bundee Aki. They’ve still got the world’s best halfbacks in [Conor] Murray and [Johnny] Sexton, pictured, available to them. Keith Earls who left the field last week is an outstanding player and they can just swap in anybody in that pack; Sean O’brien, one of the best Irish forwards of recent times. “We know the challenge we’re up against, our players play against Leinster, Munster, Ulster regularly, we play Ireland once a year and this year we get to play them twice [the sides are drawn together in the pool stage of the Rugby World Cup]. So we do know how good they are and how they’re going to attack us in this game.”
The toughness of the assignment has seen Townsend and his coaches go with experience over recent game time wherever a selection call has had to be made.
The quartet of Sean Maitland, Jonny Gray, Fraser Brown and Peter Horne bring a combined total of 160 caps to this week’s 23 and Townsend believes that will be vital in what is sure to be more relentless examination than the Scots received from Italy.
“Yes and it’s required,” said the coach. “The experience of players who are ready to go and have delivered before for us when they’ve come back from injury.
“Whether that’s Jonny or Fraser. Fraser last year missed a few games, came back off the bench against Ireland then started in Italy the following week and was very good. Sean and Peter are players who have proveninthepastthattheycan play very well and they’re leaders. Important when you’re playing against one of the best teams in the world, a team