google-site-verification: googlec7193c3de77668c9.html

Scotland: Fergus Burke’s game management ‘up there with the best’ – Gregor Townsend

1c71ff50 5d82 11f0 a40e a1af2950b220.jpg

Advertisements

Burke is one of 14 changes from last Saturday’s 29-26 win over Maori All Blacks, with only lock Marshall Sykes keeping his place.

Townsend admits such sweeping changes for the second game of the Pacific tour brings “an element of risk” but believes history shows it is the right approach.

“You don’t get the continuity but this team has trained together for the last two or three weeks, and trained against the team that played against the Maori,” he said.

“What we will have is fresh team, too. Not many of them played against the Maori and they are raring to go.”

Scotland were commanding 57-17 winners when they played Fiji at Murrayfield eight months ago.

On that day, the tourists were without some of their best players because the game fell outside the international window, while this time it will be the Scots who will be missing big names because of the British & Irish Lions tour.

The Fijians also ran Australia close in a 21-18 defeat last Sunday.

“Their biggest strength is their physicality – they are probably the biggest men and most powerful men in world rugby,” Townsend said.

“That is what we are going to have to match and they also have the ability to score tries from nothing. They have wonderful individual players.”


BBC News

Views: 0

See also  Leswalt housing development refusal overturned

Check Also

How your World Cup viewing could cause rare power surges

He said: “Whether you’re cheering on the home nations, your sweepstake side, or for me …

Scotland's papers: Teenagers 'celebrate' murder and police database warning

A review of the front page stories from the daily newspapers in Scotland. BBC News …

The Peter Manuel murders: Reviving the story of Glasgow's psychopath killer

Denise Mina’s The Long Drop returns to the stage as the closing show of the …

Leave a Reply

Available for Amazon Prime
Just a moment.... 429 too many requests.