Townsend proud of his men after an emotional victory
Delighted Scotland head coach acknowledges side will need to improve for weekend Test
“South Africa are the most physical team in world rugby by far. They showed against Wales on Saturday how good they are around the set-piece, and with their ball carries.
“We have seven players in our squad who did a lot of preparation for playing them on the Lions in the summer so their knowledge will be important to pass round the group. And three of our staff were involved in that, too, so we know what’s coming. But knowing what’s coming and overcoming it are two different things.”
Townsend also had words of praise for hooker Ewan Ashman, who was thrown into the fray after only 10 minutes when George Turner suffered a rib injury, and topped an excellent debut with a brilliantly-taken try.
“We had real faith in him during the week as soon as he got the news he’d been selected,” said the coach. “He’s been confident around training. He’s a very good player already and he’s someone who can get better and better over the next few years.
“I have to mention Josh Bayliss [who also made his debut off the bench], too, and his impact. He got a really good turnover that reminded of one of Cam Redpath’s turnovers at Twickenham on his first cap.”