Defensive Scotland? Townsend is having us all on...

A SCOTLAND team with Stuart Hogg at full-back, Ali Price and Finn Russell as the half-back partnership, Huw Jones in the centre and Tommy Seymour on the wing isn’t a naturally defensive one.

Which is why nobody should be fooled by Gregor Townsend constantly implying his team may play a tight game to keep the Welsh attack at bay.

‘Defence is really important whoever you’re playing against and we’ve got to make sure that, right throughout the team, we have that as our No 1 priority,’ said Townsend. Aye right, Gregor.

To say that his words go against type is a massive understatement.

Some teams play in the image of their coach and Scotland are a case in point. That is why Townsend will light the blue touch paper and stand well back as his team attack from the first whistle.

Play it tight, soak up pressure and defend? No chance. There is a reason why ‘organised chaos’ has been the watchword in the behind-closed-doors training sessions this week.

The Scotland players, especially Hogg (pictured) and Russell, have been told to take risks early on, not sit back. Cause mayhem, produce the unexpected. Never let them settle.

Remember the Russell break that led to a try for Hogg just over a minute into Glasgow Warriors’ match against Exeter Chiefs a few weeks ago? Expect similar early moves against the Welsh.

A high-tempo start can knock the stuffing out of a home side with no real bite in their back division. There is no point in Scotland sitting back and trying to win an arm-wrestle. That would play straight into Warren Gatland’s hands. He knows he lacks flair in a team missing ten of his first-choice players. It will be Wales who will try to adopt a rearguard forwards-dominated game in an attempt to grind down Scotland, not the other way about. So take Townsend’s talk about defence being his priority with a pinch of salt. Running in tries is his main aim. Giving his players the confidence to attack the opposition can make that happen. It will also scare the living daylights out of Gatland and Wales. Scotland have the potential to put lots of points on the board by half-time. By all means bring on Greig Laidlaw in the second half to slow the game down and give the forwards a more prominent role. But, to begin with, Scotland have to play to their strengths. Give Hogg the ball. Play it to Russell. And attack from the off.