Visser will pick up baton while Scots try to cope without key players on tour
TIM VISSER is up for the challenge of leading the Scotland attack on their summer tour in the absence of key men Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour and Sean Maitland.
With Seymour and Hogg on Lions duty and Maitland injured, head coach Gregor Townsend knows he will have to rely heavily on the Harlequins star to run in the tries — starting with the tour opener against Italy in Singapore next Saturday.
‘I may be the senior winger, the oldest in the back three and have a bit of grey hair here and there, but I want to play in all three games if required,’ said the 30-year-old.
When Visser first arrived at the Scotland training camp late last week, he wasn’t sure whether he would be up to the task of playing in all of the tour matches in what will be hot and humid conditions.
Fatigued after a long season in which he scored an impressive 11 tries in 20 matches for Harlequins, Visser had a chat with Townsend and after some light training is now ready to go.
‘When I arrived at the Scotland training camp, I was a bit tired as I had played a lot of rugby this season, having come up here in the autumn and played the Six Nations , then going back down to play for Harlequins for the rest of the season,’ he said.
‘That meant I had more rugby than I am used to in recent times and, let’s face it, I am getting on a bit.
‘But my time in the Scotland training camp has been brilliant and I certainly feel my body has come back to where I can feel my legs again, I’m ready to go now.
‘Is it realistic for me to play in all three matches? I am ready and willing to do it if Gregor wants.’
That could well be the case as the other three wingers on tour lack track record at international level.
Edinburgh’s Damien Hoyland won his two caps in back-to-back matches against Japan last summer but hasn’t represented his country since. Glasgow’s Rory Hughes also has just two caps after debuting in a 2015 World Cup warm-up against Italy.
Lee Jones has four caps and a try to his name, but hasn’t played for his country since the 2012 Six Nations clash with Ireland.
Although all four wingers have never been in the same Scotland squad before, Visser is confident that they can work well together.
‘I played with Lee in Edinburgh’s successful Heineken Cup campaign when we got to the semi-final a few years ago,’ he continued. ‘Damien and Rory are also exciting.
‘It is a new group but we are learning and, as they say, you are never too old to learn.’
Townsend doesn’t have to go far to find problems ahead of his first test as national boss.
At full-back, there is no natural successor to Hogg — as Seymour and Maitland often covered there in the past when he was injured.
Ruaridh Jackson, who hasn’t played for Scotland since the Japan match in Tokyo this time last year, is listed as the only other No15 in the squad despite being more comfortable at fly-half.
Townsend is so concerned that he has had first choice No10 Finn Russell running at 15 in training with a view to playing him there.
Visser, however, said he was confident Scotland will kick off the tour with a win over Italy, a team he has a good personal track record against.
‘We got some proper match preparation in before we left and things went very well,’ he said.
‘We have a good record against Italy after a good win in the Six Nations, so we don’t want to slack off from that performance.’