Cameron Redpath’s capture as a fully-fledged Scotland international will be confirmed on Saturday as he was named in the starting XV for this weekend’s Guinness Six Nations opener against the Auld Enemy.
With Duncan Taylor short of minutes after another injury scare, it came down to a call between another Gallagher Premiership starlet in James Lang, which Redpath won out on.
“Any selection decision takes a lot of discussion and debate and also we had to see how Cam fitted in with the group. He came up for a few days of training last week and played on the Friday night for Bath. Those were all factor in enabling him to have this opportunity. In addition to all that, his skillset and mindset as well; he’s a real competitor. Those were ways of making this an easier decision. He’ll grab this opportunity and learn quickly about training at test level”, said Townsend
“He did play age grade at Under-17s for Scotland but obviously he grew up mainly in England so he played mainly age-group for England. We saw a lot of potential at England Under-20s and when he broke into the Sale team. That potential has been brought into the here and now with the way he’s been playing this and last year.”
As we’re all well too aware, Saturday’s match will be held in front of a largely empty stadium, but Townsend saw pros and cons towards the surreal atmosphere in which Redpath will make his international bow.
“He did play age grade at Under-17s for Scotland but obviously he grew up mainly in England so he played mainly age-group for England. We saw a lot of potential at England Under-20s and when he broke into the Sale team. That potential has been brought into the here and now with the way he’s been playing this and last year.”
The Toony Tombola effect hasn’t really come in to play with the majority of the side as expected. Stuart Hogg captains the side from full-back, with Duhan van der Merwe on the left-wing and veteran Sean Maitland on the right.
Redpath will find support on his outside from now nailed-on outside centre Chris Harris – who makes his eighth start in a row – with the totemic Finn Russell looking to feed the Bath man from the stand-off berth. After the shenanigans of last year, the Racing 92 star will be keen to show the watching world that he is one of the best operators in the game, and he’ll be reunited – and it feels so good – with old bromance partner Ali Price at half-back.
Of Russell, the head coach said: “He’s someone who has trained outstandingly well with us. He has brought energy, been hugely positive and led in a number of areas. Plus his accuracy has been superb. He can’t wait to play. He’s really enjoyed being here and with his team-mates.
“His brain works very fast – looking at how a defence is shaped, this phase, next phase, and what he might do in five minutes’ time with the same opportunity.
“He’s bringing all that into skill execution much quicker and much more regularly, and a lot of that has to do with confidence. You might work out where the space is or how to attack a team but Finn has the confidence to go through with it, whether it’s a pass, a kick or a run.”
With hookers going down like… things that go down a lot, George Turner makes his Six Nations debut, and in line to make his international debut as his replacement will be Edinburgh’s Dave Cherry, preferred to Grant Stewart and Ewan Ashman as the replacement darts-man.
The rest of the pack are well acquainted with each other; Rory Sutherland and Zander Fagerson propping on either side of Turner, Scott Cummings and Jonny Gray continue as the locks, while in the back-row formidable flankers Jamie Ritchie – who is also vice-captain – and Hamish Watson will look to cause breakdown mayhem, with Matt Fagerson at the back of the scrum.
“We feel the blend this week with Matt and Gary (Graham) gives us a lot of carrying power. Matt played well for us in the autumn, he had a really good game against France and likewise over in Dublin. Matt’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.
We’ve been really impress with Gary. He hasn’t played many games this year – I think he’s only played one in the last four or five weeks, and only four overall. But the four games he has played, he has played really well. He’s played with aggression, more controlled aggression than maybe two or three years ago.
“He brings aggression. More controlled aggression now than maybe two or three years ago.
“The fact that he’s played No. 8 gives him a different understanding, a better understanding of the game, and he’s been a leader at Newcastle.”
Alongside Cherry and Graham on a mainly inexperienced bench will be the familiar face of Richie Gray, poised to make his first appearance in nearly 3 years after a pair of fine performances in the recent 1872 games.
Backs: 15. Stuart Hogg 14. Sean Maitland 13. Chris Harris
12. Cameron Redpath 11. Duhan van der Merwe 10. Finn Russell 9. Ali Price
Forwards: 1. Rory Sutherland 2. George Turner 3. Zander Fagerson 4. Scott Cummings 5. Jonny Gray 6. Jamie Ritchie 7. Hamish Watson 8. Matt Fagerson
Replacements: 16. Dave Cherry 17. Oli Kebble 18. WP Nel 19. Richie Gray 20. Gary Graham 21. Scott Steele 22. Jaco van der Walt 23. Huw Jones