Nel’s return timely boost for Scotland
B Y rights he should by now be making a name for himself on the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.
Instead, WP Nel will continue proving to new Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend that he has fully recovered from the serious neck injury that almost cut short his career.
Whatever the circumstances, Townsend was clearly delighted to be able to call on a man who was considered a shoo-in for Warren Gatland’s tourists only to be restricted to 27 minutes of action since October.
‘It’s a huge boost to have somebody acknowledged as one of the best tightheads in the world back available again,’ said Townsend after naming the South-African-born star in his first-ever Scotland team, which faces Italy in Singapore on Saturday.
Zander Fagerson has stepped up to the mark in Nel’s absence but it will be a relief to the Scots that the Edinburgh player has been able to return to the field of play at all.
Only after a neck operation in January and four months of rehab has the 31-year-old been cleared to play rugby again.
He made his comeback off the bench for the Barbarians against England two weeks ago in what was effectively a trial for Scotland’s summer tour.
‘It was an important game for him, having not played since January, and he came through it well,’ said Townsend. ‘To feel that he had got through the tackling, ball carrying, clearing contact and scrummaging was a huge confidence boost.
‘Someone who has had such a serious injury can be tentative to begin with. But since he has joined us he has trained hard from day one, whether it was in contact sessions, attack, or defence scrummaging, so he’s in good shape.’
Against an Italy side who pride themselves on the quality of their scrum, Nel’s return could not be more timely. He is part of an all-Edinburgh front row alongside Ross Ford and Allan Dell.
‘It’s a good front row unit but as WP has not played that much we are not expecting him to play at his best level straight away,’ said Townsend. ‘Because of that, it’s reassuring to have somebody like Zander who has played really well for Scotland on the bench.
‘In saying that, it’s fantastic to have WP available again as he still has that attacking game, he is still skilful and fit. Having him back in time to face Italy, who are very good at scrum time, is perfect timing.’
Townsend gave no guarantees that all 34 players in his squad will feature over the three matches, even though Ross Ford could become Scotland’s most capped player.
‘There could be players who play three tests on this tour, there could be players who don’t play one,’ said Townsend. ‘It’s important that every player works hard in training to earn a start but there is no guarantee they will play.
‘For me, this is the start and I want to try a few combinations heading towards the next World Cup. I want to play what I think is the best team to win against Italy.
‘There will be big milestones along the way, starting with this tour, then the November Tests with the All Blacks and two Six Nations tournaments to come ahead of the World Cup. We have 25 Tests starting Saturday, so it is an important one for players to put their first marker down.’
Townsend has made nine changes from the Vern Cotter team that beat Italy in the final Six Nations game this year.
Two are enforced with Tommy Seymour and Stuart Hogg on Lions duty.
However, he has picked an experienced side, with none of the three uncapped players — prop D’Arcy Rae, centre Nick Grigg and hooker George Turner — in the squad.
Ball carriers such as Josh Strauss and John Hardie come into the back row, while open-side Hamish Watson was not considered due to a groin strain.
John Barclay remains captain against what is expected to be a largely experimental Italian oufit, while vice-captain Jonny Gray is to be rested after an exhausting season.