Townsend inspired by Guardiola philosophy

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has spoken of his meeting with Pep Guardiola as he put the finishing touches on Scotland's Six Nations preparations.

Gregor Townsend has lifted the lid on his meeting with Pep Guardiola as he puts the finishing touches on Scotland's bid for Six Nations glory.

Scotland head coach Townsend spent a day with Manchester City in December to run the rule over the coaching style of the Premier League's top boss.

Now he hopes to implement some of Guardiola's philosophy when the Scots open their campaign against Wales at the Principality Stadium next Saturday.

"The biggest thing about meeting Pep was seeing a coach so passionate about the details of coaching," said Townsend.

"It's about how to bring the best out of players, not tactics and the bigger picture, more about the details of how he gets his game over. He was so excited about it.

"He talked a lot about rugby as well, he loves rugby, and how you have to look forward because we pass the ball back. That's a great philosophy that he feels applies to football.

"He didn't say who he would be supporting, but he did get a signed Scotland jersey. He was pleased with that so hopefully he'll have one eye on Scotland."

Scotland have not won the title since 1999, the year before Italy joined what was previously the Five Nations.

But their form in the autumn, with a win over Samoa, a narrow defeat by New Zealand and a record-breaking victory over Australia, has raised expectations of a potential first Six Nations success.

"It's quite good, no one can take away from us winning the last ever Five Nations," Townsend said.

"But it shows what a tough competition it is, the last three winners have been Wales, Ireland and England.

"When I played, the teams dominating were England and France, and whoever sneaked in in third had a chance. Now you have five teams in that mix. It's a very competitive and high-quality tournament."


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Source: AAP



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