Gregor Townsend’s ability to pull a selectorial rabbit out of the hat was once again in evidence as the Scotland coach named his side for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham. Although well trailed, his selection of uncapped Cameron Redpath at inside centre represents a bold move which pits the Bath threequarter against his former international Under-20s midfield partner Ollie Lawrence, who starts at inside centre for England.
Although there were a couple of marginal calls elsewhere for Townsend, mainly at No 8 where Matt Fagerson pipped Gary Graham to a starting spot, injuries and a lack of game time for several players meant that Townsend’s starting side was pretty much as expected. There were, however, several interesting selections on the bench, which includes pugnacious scrum-half Scott Steele, veteran lock Richie Gray and a prolific try-scorer in Huw Jones.
However, most attention rightly focused on Repath’s selection. The son of former Scotland captain Bryan Redpath, he was born in France and raised in England, and has been the subject of a protracted tug-of-war between Scotland, for whom he played age-grade rugby, and England, for whose U20s he scored a try against Scotland in 2019. He even went as far as declaring for England and being included in a senior England squad under Eddie Jones before recently recanting.
Jones has so far kept his counsel on Redpath’s decision to switch allegiance to Scotland, but in naming his England side allowed his selections to speak for him. By moving ultra-physical 21-year-old centre Ollie Lawrence from 13 to 12, he places the two former England U20s teammates on a collision course.
Townsend, who has made no secret of his delight at Redpath’s decision to declare for Scotland and has selected him at the first opportunity despite his relative youth and inexperience, believes he can cope with Lawrence’s physicality. “Any selection decision takes a lot of discussion and debate and also we had to see how Cam fitted in with the group,” said the Scotland coach. “On the defensive side he’s a real competitor.”
Defence has not been a problem for Scotland, who set a new Six Nations record last season when they conceded just five tries and 59 points. However, they also scored just seven tries – six of which came against France and Italy – and 77 points, an attacking deficit which Townsend is hoping that Redpath can help address.
“That’s the hope and the aim,” said Townsend when asked if Redpath’s selection would lead to a return to a more attacking style. “We’ve got some outstanding attacking players in our backline, and we want them to express themselves. We want to see them bring their strengths into the game, unlocking defences on their own but also bringing others into play. That is the aim for this campaign.”
Redpath, said Townsend, is central to that gameplan. “He has that fearless mindset of wanting to take on the opposition and he’ll grab this opportunity,” said Townsend. “He’s very mature for a 21 year-old and his skillset is outstanding. He’s played a bit at 10, has a very good running game, can pass off either hand and has a good short kicking game. On the defensive side he is a competitor, so given his skillset and mindset, and how he’s integrated with players on and off the field, that’s led us to the strong belief he will go well at Test level.”
However, if the attacking fulcrum of Finn Russell and Redpath has the potential to be an exciting prospect, the Scotland coach knows that the game will be largely won and lost up front, where continuity is the order of the day. The only two changes up front from Scotland’s disappointing 31-16 Autumn Nations Cup defeat in Dublin see Hamish Watson return at the expenses of Blade Thomson, while George Turner starts at hooker in the absence of Fraser Brown and Stuart McInally.
There was speculation that the abrasive ball-carrying Newcastle Falcons’ back rower Gary Graham may force his way into the side at No , but Townsend has instead chosen to keep faith with Matt Fagerson, with Graham starting on the bench.
“We feel the blend this week with Matt and Gary gives us a lot of carrying power,” reasoned Townsend. “Matt played well for us in the autumn, he had a really good game against France and likewise over in Dublin. He’s a young player and there’s a lot of learning and improvement to do but we feel his work rate and what he did in the autumn gives him the opportunity to start. Gary also looks in good shape this week and we expect him to have a big impact off the bench.”
