Confident Scots can go places, says coach

SCOTLAND’S new attack coach says he can see a confidence in the squad that can benefit them as they plan towards the Rugby World Cup in 2023.

South African AB Zondagh took up his position as one of Gregor Townsend’s assistants earlier this season after Mike Blair moved to take charge of Edinburgh.

Zondagh, who was previously working with Toulouse, has noted a growing sense of confidence in Scotland, who have beaten the likes of England, France and Australia this year.

“It’s a very confident group,” he said. “They are very confident in the way they train and carry themselves.

“There’s a real belief, from players and management, that we can beat any team and that’s why we were disappointed after the South Africa game because we knew we were in a position to beat them but we couldn’t finish the game off.

“That confidence is massive and it’s something this group will definitely keep with them and build on towards the World Cup.”

Zondagh hopes to have an ongoing influence following the Autumn Nations Series after being given the scope to work with Edinburgh and Glasgow players.

“You can’t have a massive effect in a short period of time but a big reason for me moving to Scotland is to spend time with players out of camp as well, to up-skill them and help them reach their full potential,” he said.

“If someone is struggling with a specific skill, that’s something we need to address and pinpoint and we need to align that with the way we want to play and the way we go into the World Cup.”

Scotland suffered a blow on Saturday when they fell to a 30-15 defeat against South Africa despite leading at half-time.

But there were a number of positives in both defence and attack, especially the two tries scored by Stuart Hogg when the Scots moved the ball too quickly for the world champions to deal with.

Scotland, who will have Scott Cummings and George Turner available after injury, are looking to bounce back when Japan visit BT Murrayfield on Saturday.

The visitors suffered a 60-5 reverse against Ireland earlier this month before beating Portugal 38-25 at the weekend.

Zondagh said: “South Africa are a difficult team to play against, they grind out their way of playing, they impose their game plan on you for 80 minutes non-stop.

“We did some really good things and showed what is possible but the key for us is to be able to do that for 80 minutes and not have lapses in concentration. I think that’s probably what cost us in the end.”