THE coach has changed, and there are some new faces to get to know. But for Edinburgh flanker Hamish Watson, being part of the Scotland set-up for the Autumn Tests will just be business as usual.

Watson has been an impressive and consistent performer for Scotland since making his debut against Italy in 2015, making it difficult for first Vern Cotter, and now Gregor Townsend, to ignore him.

“It was great to get selected again and to come and see all the boys, especially the Glasgow guys I haven’t seen for a while and the exile boys,” said Watson last week, as he bedded in to the Scots training camp to plan Saturday’s Samoa game at Murrayfield.

“They [Cotter and Townsend] both like to play that sort of expansive, attacking game of rugby so it’s similar, but Gregor’s putting his own stamp on it which is good.

“Obviously we had him in the summer tour but we only played three games. But I think no matter who the coach is, and we have a new coach at Edinburgh too in Richard Cockerill, you always have to be at your best. There is good depth at Edinburgh and of course with Scotland so you’ve got to play at your best or you’ll get replaced.”

Watson’s dynamism as a genuine No 7 means he is difficult to overlook. Generally, if he does end up on the bench at international level, someone else has been playing out of their skin.

While Townsend is now boss, Watson acknowledges the part played by Cotter.

“Vern helped me in the way that he told you when what you were doing was rubbish and what you were doing well,” said Watson, with something of a boyish wince, like he had been told the former more than once.

“After my first cap he gave me a few things to work on and I’ve said before that I went away and worked on those things and while at the time you’re quite annoyed in the long run it has definitely helped.”

What hasn’t helped Watson, has been waiting for the international stage to present itself once again. There is a feeling of frustration that the summer tour ended in a loss, something Hamish & Co are looking to correct against the Samoans.

“It’s definitely something we want to put right,” said Watson. “It was for us a disappointing result for Scotland, after such a great win over Australia.

“Fiji in Fiji is always going to be a tough game, but we addressed it in the camp we had back in August and now I don’t think it will be mentioned again. We just have to put it right and get back to winning ways,” said Watson, who enjoyed one particular stand-out moment on the summer trip, with a score against the Wallabies.

“It wasn’t the toughest try in the world but right place, right time,” he concedes. “For a seven as well, you have to be able to link up with the backs really well and know what the moves are and try and get on the end of moves like that.”

Scotland are about to embark on a series of matches that will push them to the limit. And they will do so with a group of new faces. Even though he only has a dozen caps himself, Watson now has to be considered one of the senior partners in the Scotland set-up.

“We’re playing eight of the top nations in our next nine games and they will be tough games but we go into those games now knowing that if we play to the level we know we can play to we can beat all of those teams. That is definitely something we’ve talked about, winning a lot of those games, and that’s the belief that now exists in this playing squad.

“It might not have been quite like that four or five years ago but Vern helped with that and now Gregor, so you’re going into these games knowing that you can win them. Obviously, they’re going to be very tough games but that’s what makes you a better team.

“I watch a bit of the Premiership so I knew a few of the boys who were coming in. You obviously don’t know what the squad is going to be so you’re looking at the other back rowers obviously, but it’s good that they’re bringing more depth and getting a bigger pool, I suppose.

“During the camps and training, you’re a bit more confident with the players – you know the Glasgow boys a bit better and all the other players better – and you have a few more starts under your belt so that helps. But if I’m lucky enough to be involved in the first game [against Samoa], I think it will still be a nerve-wracking experience.”

Not that Watson has ever appeared to be that nervous. If anything, he has always played with a certain assuredness, and no shortage of commitment.

Even with rule changes, there is still an edge to how Watson attacks the breakdown.

“I don’t think I’ve been made redundant,” he shrugs, like someone who understands the mechanics of his role and the parameters he has to work within.

“It makes it even more valuable when you do get those turnovers. Obviously it’s a bit harder now since they made a few law changes, but it is what a traditional seven does. It’s important to adapt your game and keep offering other things.”