Scotland’s players must get used to different coaching methods but there should be little change in the way they attempt to play the game according to vice captain Ryan Watson.
The back-row forward, who was appointed to the Glasgow Warriors captaincy immediately after Gregor Townsend departed to take over as national coach, was also a regular in Vern Cotter’s Scotland teams so is well placed to draw comparison.
“They are very different coaches, but the style of rugby is quite similar (and) we are looking to carry on the momentum from last year,” he said. “I love Vern. I thought he was brilliant. Vern would go out with a plan and then change it halfway through training, whereas Gregor is meticulous with his planning. He’ll have everything down to the smallest detail. He was a really passionate guy. He wasn’t from Scotland, but he bought into it. You would think he was Scottish when he spoke about Scotland.
“Gregor knows what it’s like to be out on that pitch and buys into it a bit more in knowing what we’re doing and how hard it is to perform. He is good at looking at other teams and picking up the smallest details. He’s clever in what he does.”
He noted that while the intensity may be higher, Glasgow’s players have consequently adjusted readily and they hope their pace of play will overwhelm today’s opponents.
“Samoa are big men and we will look to run them round the park,” he said. “We know that the last 20 minutes we will have that extra little bit in the tank to keep going.”
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