Scotland work with mindset coach as Gregor Townsend tries to outwit Rassie Erasmus

Gregor Townsend has been a long-term adversary of Rassie Erasmus and recognises the South Africa boss as the most successful coach of his generation - but also someone who is prepared to do “all it takes and more” to win.

It’s why Scotland cannot afford to allow their concentration levels to dip when the world champions come to Murrayfield on Sunday.

The Springboks have set the standards other nations must aspire to across the last five years, winning back-to-back World Cups and then adding the Rugby Championship to their trophy haul six weeks ago. Scotland have not beaten them since 2010 when Dan Parks knocked over six penalties and a drop-goal in a 21-17 win in Edinburgh. It seems a long time ago for both teams and if South Africa were to prevail again this weekend it would be nine in a row for them against the Scots.

Finn Russell (R) and Duhan van der Merwe (L) during a Scotland training session at Oriam. | SNS Group / SRU

Such statistics make for unpleasant reading for Townsend, who will be facing the Boks for the fourth time as Scotland’s head coach. He tasted victory over them as a player, in 2002, but getting one over Erasmus would be a sweet moment. They have crossed swords at club level, when Townsend was in charge of Glasgow Warriors and Erasmus was at Munster, and there was also the engrossing Lions series of 2021 which the Boks edged 2-1. Their last meeting came in the heat of Marseille last year as South Africa won 18-3 against Scotland in the pool stages of the World Cup.

Erasmus was director of rugby at that point but has since returned to the head coach’s role. Regardless of the title, his competitive instincts remain intact.

“I think when you meet him away from the Test match itself, he’s very intelligent, very respectful, thinks a lot about the game,” said Townsend. “When you go into the Test match environment, he’s competitive, he’s a winner. He’ll do all it takes and more to help his team win. He’s proven to be the most successful coach of our era in the last four years but even longer than that. We have a lot of respect for their coaching group.”

South Africa are odds-on to beat Scotland and Townsend is happy to embrace the underdogs tag against a side he says have taken the Test game to a new level.

“I think they’re the benchmark,” he said. “If you look through the World Cup, they didn’t blow anybody away, but they had enough to win two or three of the games by one or two points. To have that level of intensity and focus and not drop off, that’s what makes you world champions. But to do it two World Cups in a row is fantastic.

“I think from maybe four years ago to where they are now, they play a brand of rugby that tests you more than just the physicality. They've got some brilliant rugby players and athletes out wide and they use them.

“We know we have to be at our best in every sector. The best at Test level you often think is physicality and effort. If you don't bring those two things to Test level you’re not going to win. But I think focus has to be there.”

To help in that regard, Scotland have been working with Jess Thom, the lead sports psychologist for the British team at the recent Paris Olympics. They have also had former Scotland Sevens captain David Gray in camp for the last couple of weeks. Gray is a mindset coach who works with the Hurricanes Super Rugby side in New Zealand amongst others.

Scotland forwards coach John Dalziel, centre, with David Gray, right. | SNS Group / SRU

“We’re looking to provide as much support for our players in that area, not just the players, the coaches [too],” said Townsend. “I like to have experts in the mental skills side of it, being in our environment can only help us.

“David has worked with the Hurricanes now for the last two years as a mindset coach, but he’s been involved with Super Rugby for a long time with S&C. It's been great having both Jess and David with us.”

Speaking after last season’s disappointing Six Nations campaign, Finn Russell stressed the need for Scotland to be mentally stronger and it is an area which Townsend is clearly trying to address. The Bath stand-off returns to the team to face South Africa along with Toulouse’s Blair Kinghorn and Toulon’s Ben White after all three were forced to miss last weekend’s win over Fiji which took place outside the international window, preventing Townsend from selecting players based in England and France.

Russell takes over from Adam Hastings at 10 while White replaces Ali Price at scrum-half. Kinghorn is selected on the wing in the absence of Darcy Graham who suffered a concussion during his four-try performance against Fiji. Kinghorn had been Scotland’s starting full-back at the end of the Six Nations but Townsend has opted for Tom Jordan at 15 after the Glasgow man impressed in the role against Fiji when he came on for the injured Kyle Rowe at the end of the first half.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend. | SNS Group / SRU

The pack is unchanged from last weekend but Townsend has reshaped his bench, going for a six-two split of forwards and backs to try to counter the notorious South African 'bomb squad'. Elliot Millar Mills is preferred to D’Arcy Rae as back-up at tighthead and Josh Bayliss and Jamie Ritchie join the Northampton prop among the replacements. Gregor Brown is injured and drops out.

Erasmus, inevitably, has gone one step further and opted for a seven-one split and it’s a formidable looking bench which includes double World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi, former world player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit and fearsome Leinster lock RG Snyman. The eight South African replacements can muster 395 caps between them compared to the Scotland subs’ 119.

Townsend said his team must rise to the challenge of the so-called bomb squad.

“I think we definitely need to see it as a motivating factor when that bench comes on, whether coming all together or in groups. We’ve got to lift our game up because these guys might be fresher but there is a risk going with 7-1. Whether that’s injuries you might pick up elsewhere that you have to change plans or just that cohesion of, are you bringing them all on as a pack or are you bringing them on stages?”

Scotland: T Jordan; B Kinghorn, H Jones, S Tuipulotu (capt) D van der Merwe; F Russell, B White; P Schoeman, E Ashman, Z Fagerson, G Gilchrist, S Cummings, M Fagerson, R Darge, J Dempsey. Replacements: D Richardson, R Sutherland, E Millar Mills, M Williamson, J Bayliss, J Ritchie, J Dobie, S McDowall.

South Africa: W Le Roux; C Moodie, L Am, A Esterhuizen, M Mapimpi; H Pollard, J Hendrikse; O Nche, B Mbonambi, T du Toit, E Etzebeth, F Mostert, M van Staden, E Louw, K Smith. Replacements: M Marx, G Steenekamp, V Koch, RG Snyman, S Kolisi, PS du Toit, J Wiese, G Williams.

Referee: Christophe Ridley (Eng).