First stop Argentina ... and then the World!
Gilchrist insists series win over Pumas is vital as Scots build up for France 2023
FOR a variety of reasons, Scotland were always going to be keen to draw a line under this year’s Six Nations campaign and move on as quickly as possible. It proved to be a messy affair both on and off the pitch, reaching a controversial climax in Dublin when a series of key players were disciplined ahead of the final match against Ireland.
Winning just two of their five games, it was hard to avoid the feeling that Gregor Townsend’s side had regressed from where they were 12 months previously.
Now comes the chance to reset and recalibrate the gameplan ahead of what could be a gruelling tour of Argentina.
The Scots will field an ‘A’ team largely comprising of younger home-based players in next weekend’s warm-up game with Chile, before the big guns are rolled out for the three-match series against the Pumas.
Despite opting to rest captain Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell, Townsend has still selected a strong squad, perhaps stronger than a lot of people suspected it might be.
The likes of Ali Price, Jonny Gray, Hamish Watson, Rory Sutherland, Zander and Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe, Blair Kinghorn, Sam Johnson, Sam Skinner, Pierre Schoeman and Scott Cummings are all involved.
The majority of those players could legitimately claim to be part of Townsend’s first-choice XV on any given day.
Grant Gilchrist, who will captain the side, insists there is a simple reason why Scotland have gone almost fully loaded. This is no developmental tour. Rather, they are determined to win.
With the World Cup now just over a year away, Gilchrist believes a series victory in Argentina would be the perfect way to generate some fresh momentum.
‘You’ve hit the nail on the head — we want to start our journey to the World Cup as of this tour,’ said the talismanic Edinburgh lock, who has been in terrific form over the past year.
‘We’re taking on a lot of learnings from the Six Nations. What we did well and what we must improve on.
‘We start our road to the World Cup as of this tour and it’s obvious that getting the start of a Test series win in Argentina would be a huge boost going into the autumn, playing back at Murrayfield with that momentum behind us.
‘It’s exciting because you can win the series and it’s not a one-off game. You’re playing the same team and there are different challenges in that. If certain things happen in the first Test, then you’re going to have to change them, depending on how the games go.
‘We’ve experienced it a bit with the fixtures between Glasgow and Edinburgh when you play each other back to back and you start to work out what they do and you make different tactical decisions.
‘But I think the biggest thing is the chance to go and win a series rather than a one-off Test match. That’s exciting.
‘Argentina are a different beast (than when we played them in 2018). I don’t think they had a coach that day and they were very disjointed. We know the size of the challenge. We know from playing with King Boff (Emiliano Boffelli) at Edinburgh the quality of the players — world-class and at home in a hostile environment
‘It will be an awesome test for us and a chance for us to put ourselves on the right path to the autumn when we play some of the best teams in the world, then the Six Nations and the World Cup in just over a year’s time.
‘It’s a pivotal moment for the squad and we are really excited to get going.’
The chance to captain his country is not something Gilchrist will take for granted. History has taught him some harsh lessons and has sharpened his sense of appreciation for these things.
He captained Scotland for the first time in the summer of 2014, incidentally against Argentina, and was then named captain for the autumn Test series later that year, with a view to it being a permanent arrangement.
But he was denied the honour when a broken arm ruled him out of the series. The honour and sense of pride will not be lost on him when he leads the team out.
‘I’m experienced enough to know that you never know when your last tour will be or your last chance to play for Scotland never mind captain the side,’ said the 31-yearold. ‘I will play every game like it is my last one.
‘It’s something I’ve done a lot for Edinburgh. It comes naturally to me. I would lead whether captain or not — I would take control of some areas and I would speak.’
Gilchrist believes the three-game series against Argentina will be a better opportunity for his Edinburgh team-mate Kinghorn to showcase his credentials as a Test level fly-half, compared to the situation in Dublin.
Kinghorn was pitched in as a replacement for Russell amid the off-field chaos that had seen a host of senior players disciplined ahead of the 26-5 loss at the Aviva Stadium.
It would have been a tough gig for even the most experience fly-half. The fact that Kinghorn was still learning on the job made it doubly difficult.
But Gilchrist insists this will now be a better proving ground for Kinghorn, saying: ‘I still think he did a lot of things really well in the game in Dublin. In any position, but particularly those gamecontroller positions of half-back and ten, they tend to need a bit of time in the saddle to get used to it.
‘I’ve been so impressed with Blair this season with the way he was taking control of our attack.
‘This is a tour for him to stand up and lead as well. I’ve seen him do it for Edinburgh all season. He’s been outstanding.
‘You see the flashy moments but Blair has also putting in the work off the pitch and on the pitch to develop all the parts he needs to control the game.’