Scotland are entering a new era with Gregor Townsend as coach and record points scorer Chris Paterson has pinpointed Finn Russell and Duncan Taylor as two key cogs moving forward.
Townsend’s first matches in charge have been this summer’s tour, where Scotland beat Italy 34-13 in Singapore, recorded a brilliant 24-19 victory over Australia in Sydney but went down 27-22 to Fiji in Suva last weekend.
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Fly-half Russell starred in those first two wins, playing superbly against the Wallabies in particular, before being called up as a replacement for the ongoing British & Irish Lions tour of Australia and missing the Fiji defeat.
And Paterson – who notched 809 points in a Scotland jersey between 1999 and 2011, 403 of those coming in the RBS 6 Nations – has been impressed by the increasing maturity of the 29-cap 24-year-old.
“Finn is currently with the Lions, which will be a great experience for him, and I saw in the Italy and Australia games a new improved, more mature player,” said Paterson.
“He has always had the talent, of that there is no doubt, but, in those two wins, he ran the backline superbly well and took the game to the opposition while his offloading was very crisp and decisions were, in the main, well thought out.
“For Scotland’s attack to improve even further under Gregor he will be a lynchpin at ten and, given his relationship with the head coach, I think he will continue to grow in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup.”
Meanwhile, versatile back Taylor started at full-back against Italy before switching into the centres for the subsequent two fixtures and has also appeared on the wing for his country.
The Saracens star’s made his Scotland debut in 2013 but has still only played 21 times for this country, although Paterson is convinced the 27-year-old is about to become a mainstay of the side under Townsend.
“Duncan can play anywhere and looks so comfortable,” added Paterson. “He has had a bit of a ‘stop-start’ career with Scotland to date, but you only have to speak to the likes of Kelly Brown and Jim Hamilton to find out how well regarded he is at Saracens.
“Against Italy, I thought he did a great job at full-back and was a good option coming into the line while, at centre against Australia, he caused them a lot of issues.
“He is a tall guy and very strong and he looks so well balanced when he runs. He has a lot of time on his side to make decisions.
“Duncan is in the prime of his career and I think he can become a real talisman for this Scotland team as he seems a very intelligent player.”
