DAVID SOLE
Despite the loss to the USA, it has been not a bad summer at all
Two wins out of three for Gregor Townsend’s Scotland team on their summer tour may not appear too bad.
After all, it was a very inexperienced squad, shorn of a number of Scotland’s first-choice players, travelling the length of the Americas and facing Argentina, usually one of the toughest teams to beat on their own soil.
And yet the team didn’t slip up against the Pumas – it was the American team that defeated Scotland in Houston, somewhat gallingly after Scotland had conceded a 21-6 lead.
It will be that game that will give Townsend nightmares over the next few weeks.
Last year Scotland toured the southern hemisphere, defeating Italy in a sweltering Singapore and Australia in front of their own fans in Sydney, then losing to Fiji.
Two out of three again – beat the tough team and lose to a side that Scotland really should defeat at home or away. It is a slightly alarming trend to be setting.
Yet this tour would have been seen as being very developmental for players and Townsend took that approach.
In the first match, against Canada, he fielded a side full of players from Edinburgh. In the second it was largely a Glasgow contingent.
When it came to the match against Argentina it was about selecting the best that he had available, both in terms of players and more importantly, in combinations.
After being humbled by the USA in Houston, Townsend’s youngsters delivered. George Horne and Adam Hastings controlled the game from the opening whistle and, while Argentina were a shadow of their former selves, you can only beat what is in front of you and Scotland did that in style.
Hastings will be under scrutiny this year – not only because of his heritage, but also because Finn Russell is now in France.
If Hastings can claim the fly-half position at Glasgow then, almost by default, he becomes Russell’s successor in waiting – or if Russell can’t rediscover his mercurial form, then who knows.
Similarly his young half-back partner, George Horne, will be pressing to start games for Glasgow and for Scotland. He brings dynamism, pace and innovation to his role at scrum half – qualities that Townsend values enormously.
Other successes from the tour were Blair Kinghorn, who continues to grow in stature with every game that he plays, Magnus Bradbury and Dave Denton who will both be adding to Scotland’s strength in depth in the back row and Stuart Mcinally, who surely is a Scotland captain in waiting.
So despite the loss against the USA, Scotland have returned with more credits than debits in the bank; with more knowledge and insights into their younger players and a great victory against a once great side. Not a bad summer at all.