Gregor not sure Sarries stars can go the distance

SCOTLAND head coach Gregor Townsend has questioned whether England’s mothballed Saracens will be able to last the frenetic pace tomorrow at Twickenham.

Townsend opted to leave out Saracens centre Duncan Taylor, below, because he has not played competitively for two months with the Championship shut down, and queried whether England had left themselves exposed by picking five Sarries starters.

“It’s obviously something that England will have to deal with,” said Townsend.

“You could look at it with a glass half full and say that these players are really fresh but there would be a worry that if you have too many players who haven’t played 80 minutes of high-level rugby, what are they going to be like in that last 20 minutes?

“We feel that Duncan Taylor has not played enough rugby.”

While there may be an element of mind games at play – Townsend has picked Saracens wing Sean Maitland – it is an area the Scots hope to exploit as they chase their first win at Twickenham since 1983.

Townsend made no secret of the fact that, with Finn Russell back for the first time for a Six Nations match since the incredible 38-38 Twickenham draw two years ago, he plans to keep England on the move.

“Finn’s running game is a really under-rated part of his play.And we’d certainly encourage him to run at any opportunity this weekend,” said Townsend.

“His brain works very fast – looking at how a defence is shaped, this phase, next phase, and what he might do in five minutes’ time with the same opportunity.

“We’ve got some outstanding attacking players in our back line and throughout the team.

“If conditions allow we want them to express themselves.”