Matt Taylor says he is happy and staying put

Scotland defence coach Matt Taylor will complete his current contract and stay until 2021 despite reported interest that he should join Australia’s coaching team under Michael Cheika, writes Steve Scott.

Taylor had also been mentioned as a potential target for England under Eddie Jones last summer – the defence job eventually went to John Mitchell – but while flattered in the reports from the land of his birth, he has no interest in leaving his current post.

“I’m contracted until 2021 and I’m really happy in Scotland,” he said. “This country has been very good to me. It’s nice to be linked to those types of jobs and be thought of highly, but I’m here for the next couple of years.”

Taylor is instead fully focused on today’s game against Ireland at Murrayfield, and whether wind conditions will need Scotland to check off their “playlist”.

“It was interesting today,” he said at Murrayfield yesterday. “When we came here (for the captain’s run) it seemed quite windy but it wasn’t as bad on the pitch as I expected.

“But I believe it will be windier tomorrow so it might have an effect. Both sides are playing in the stadium together so I wouldn’t say one team has an advantage or not.

“It’s something we talked about, that we might have to adapt or some moves might have to be taken out of the playlist depending on how bad the wind is. We’ve had a discussion around that.

“But it’s always a bit more swirly at Murrayfield, than being completely in one direction. We’ll have people out here early to tell us what it’s like.”

Ireland offer more technical adjustments than most sides because they always have something up their sleeves, he suggested.

“What I admire about Ireland is that they have these signature plays that everyone knows, but Joe Schmidt is good at looking at other teams and finding weaknesses.

“It is hard because there will be certain patterns that they play but they will pull out something you haven’t seen. Other sides might bring out the same move week after week and you tend to be able to prepare for them in training. Ireland don’t do that so much.”

But for all the “genius” coaches, what matters in the end is the same as always, he said, adding: “The game is won with physicality – getting up, carrying hard, tackling hard. That has to be number one. You adapt to strategies and moves second.

“Workrate, attitude and physicality are the things you need first and foremost, and moves are the second area to look at or adapt or change.”