Simon says he’ll never take Scots selection for granted

By Rob Robertson Townsend snub last summer was tough lesson for Berghan

IT IS a case of once bitten, twice shy when it comes to Scotland selection for prop Simon Berghan. He may be in line to start against Argentina next weekend but he won’t believe it until Gregor Townsend tells him personally when he announces his team to the players on Tuesday.

That is because last summer he assumed he would be touring with Scotland only for Townsend to surprise him by not picking him.

It was a massive personal blow for the 27-year who took it hard. He had been so confident that he would be going to Australia and Fiji last June that his family in New Zealand were already making plans to fly across to watch him. Thankfully, they had not booked the tickets before he was told he was staying at home.

‘I first got capped against France in the 2017 Six Nations and I had loads of highs that season with Edinburgh and thought I would be away on the summer tour,’ said Berghan, who played three out of five of Scotland’s tournament matches that year.

‘It was Australia and Fiji and that was close to home for my family in New Zealand, so they were interested in going.

‘I was making assumptions. I sort of assumed I would be involved in that tour. It was a mistake to assume that.

‘The coaching staff changed with Vern (Cotter) going and Gregor (Townsend) coming in and I wasn’t picked.

‘Coping with not going is the biggest hurdle I have had to overcome in my rugby career. I was pretty gutted. I am not going to lie to you, I was down after that.

‘It is pretty cut-throat, professional rugby. There can be a lot of change around.’

Being snubbed by Townsend when he picked his first ever international squad left the tighthead prop uncertain if he had a future under the national coach.

He knew he had to knuckle down and win him over. He did exactly that and some top-class performances for Edinburgh early last season led to him being involved in the autumn Test matches against New Zealand and Australia.

Berghan also played against England, France and Ireland in the Six Nations earlier this year and started in the 48-10 win over Canada in Edmonton last weekend.

It is well known that Townsend was always going to experiment in Scotland’s first two games against Canada and the USA, a game in which Berghan was rested, and play his strongest side against Argentina.

If he gets the nod to start against the Pumas in Resistencia ahead of Zander Fagerson and Murray McCallum, it will be a big boost to his confidence.

It will also show that he has won Townsend round after last year’s surprise omission.

‘I have had some tough lessons in the past, so I can’t make any assumptions as I said, but if I do get picked to play Argentina then it is a great sign,’ said the Edinburgh prop.

‘The game is the biggest challenge of the tour, no question, and it is a goal of mine to play them. Scotland will play their strongest side available, I would think.’

It will be a real battle up front as Argentina are well known for their powerful pack. Berghan’s main strength is at the set-piece and his power and physicality should at the very least help Scotland gain parity at the scrum.

‘Argentina round the scrum and set-piece will be tough and, as a front-row player, you want to prove yourself against a team like that,’ said the man who is eligible to play for Scotland through his grandfather, Andrew Davidson, from Stirling.

‘It would be great to get the opportunity to take them on. They have progressed quite well over the past few years and a lot of that is down to the coaching.

‘A lot of the passes that weren’t sticking are now sticking. That makes them an even more dangerous side. At home they will be a challenge.’

Scotland are looking good for strength in depth in his position at tighthead prop with Berghan, Fagerson, McCallum and WP Nel, who is hoping to put his fitness problems behind him for good, all in the frame for the No 3 jersey.

Berghan insists there is no ‘position hate’ between the players