Weir pays tribute to Townsend for helping development

WEIR CAN’T help but agree about his former physique, and gives credit to Johnson and Glasgow head coach Gregor Town send for his development.

“During the first couple of years turning pro, it’s always going to be shedding puppy fat and getting used to the diet and lifestyle of the professional athlete,” he reasoned about his early years, although he was pretty effective as a kicking fly-half that first season, scoring nearly 200 points in his first pro season.

“We do a lot of sprint work which has helped with my speed and Johnno and Gregor have both helped develop my attacking game so I feel comfortable in the roles I need to perform.”

Ruiradh Jackson has not even made the replacements, meaning that Laidlaw and Stuart Hogg, back at full-back after missing the November tests, will cover.

“It’s about time we had a look at that,” said Johnson about Hogg at 10.

“We see him finishing a game there, and are happy to have him do that.”

Taylor, who played in both the South A frica and A ustralia tests after Scott broke his hand against Japan, was a logical if not entirely expected choice if they decided not to gamble on the star centre’s lack of match fitness, but Wilson, normally at eight for Glasgow but useful across the back row, was a surprise, ousting both Johnnie Beattie and A lasdair Strokosch, the Perpignan flanker not even making the matchday squad.

“He’s athletic, fast, abrasive, and he’s a good lineout forward too, so he ticks a lot of boxes” said Johnson of the 24-year-old, who will be making only his second start.

A nd the upcoming court case?

“You don’t see me wear a wig, so that’s for someone else to do,” he stressed.

“That’s not my issue, that one. My job is to pick a team from the players available and his form warrants that he picked.”

It does mean Scotland have some serious pace in the back row, as well as Swinson’s mobility and abrasive qualities alongside Jim Hamilton.

“We’ve got good legs there,” agreed the coach.

“A lso Swinno, Jim, and Wilson are not afraid to go into the dark places and that’s a good thing. Some blokes have to bring torches — these guys go there naturally.”

With A lex Dunbar restored to outside centre after missing the November tests, the team is the best available to him, Johnson believes, after his 2013 spent blooding new players and experimenting.

“There are some (first choices) that are unavailable. But we want to be in this tournament.

“This (selection) was not about broadening our base, although we derived benefit from doing that with Swinno, with Duncan Taylor and Moray Low.

“This is what we deem to be the best team to carry us through. There’s been a lot of competition and hours spent comparing like for like.

“The nucleus, in the back division, will emerge from this team. In the forwards I want guys to be sitting sweating in their jerseys, and, if they feel that pressure, we’re in a good place.”