Rob Robertson: Who will Townsend select for Scotland November series?

Will utility back Dan Lancaster of Racing 92, son of former England coach Stuart, be a surprise call up?

Could Townsend have convinced dual-qualified fly-half Fergus Burke of Saracens, who wasn’t included in the England squad for their November matches, to throw his lot in with Scotland? 

He has been keeping a close eye on both and with three years worth of international games before the 2027 World Cup in Australia there is a strong case to try out new faces now.

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Whether he gets them to commit to Scotland remains to be seen as both may want to hold out for England call-ups further down the line.

Also there is not even a guarantee that Townsend will still be in charge of Scotland for the next World Cup as he is only contracted until April 2026.

Whatever happens the Scotland head coach – one of the most gifted players of his generation – will want protection during the Autumn Tests and going forward for similar types of skilful players such as Finn Russell and Burke and Lancaster if he manages to get them.

That is why Townsend will be looking on with interest at trials brought in by World Rugby in the southern hemisphere to begin with to introduce a twenty-minute red card after which the player sent off can be replaced permanently with someone else regardless of the severity of the offence. 

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend (Image: SNS) There are those who want such a ridiculous rule change brought in permanently with a vote to be taken on the issue by World Rugby on November 14. 

They claim early red cards spoil games as having a one man advantage for most of the eighty minutes gives the team with 15 players a massive advantage.

D’oh! As Homer Simpson would say. That is obvious but to permanently introduce twenty-minute red cards for any offence regardless of how reckless and dangerous it is puts chasing television ratings and making games more competitive ahead of player safety.

The trials and possible implementation of such a foolhardy proposal is a clarion call for back row forwards to clobber playmakers like Russell safe in the knowledge his team could replace him after just twenty minutes with another player.

A trial law is being proposed for a 20-minute red card (Image: SNS) It is a thugs charter that is being championed mostly in the southern hemisphere where the Rugby Championship and other tournaments have been used to trial the 20-minute red card for all sending offs.  

At least in the autumn Tests in the northern hemisphere the worst excesses of foul play will still result in a team going down to 14 players for the rest of the game.

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The modified trial proposals used for international games in November that includes Scotland’s say that teams will still lose a player for the rest of the match in cases of “deliberate and dangerous” foul play which is only right and proper.

Technical offences such as accidental head contact will be punished with a player being sent off but replaced by a team-mate off the bench after 20 minutes.

There is merit in that. One of the few examples I have seen of accidental head contact involves Scotland prop Zander Fagerson who was red carded against Wales at Murrayfield in the 2021 Six Nations. Check it out below and see what you think.

You may not agree but it is one of the few incidents that look worse in real time rather than when slowed down. It is the sort of offence a 20-minute red card would be perfect for.

Yes Fagerson ran into the breakdown at pace from way out in an aggressive manner as he tried to make a clear-out but only made contact with the head of Wales prop Wynn Jones because the Welshman was moving up off the ground with his back to Fagerson at that precise moment.

It was clumsy rather than malicious. A red card was harsh and a half-way house of a 20-minute red card with Scotland allowed to bring on a prop in place of Fagerson would have been fair.

That’s not to take away the necessity for real red cards offences to continue to be punished fully. 

For instance Fagerson deserved to be sent off for making contact with the head of France hooker Pierre Bourgarit at the side of a ruck at Murrayfield in the 2023 World Cup warm-up match.

Also who will ever forget French forward Mohamed Haouas punching Scotland’s Jamie Ritchie full in the face at Murrayfield in the 2020 Six Nations.

That was a deserved red card and no need for a half-way house there either.

It will be interesting to see what leading figures from across rugby that will gather to share player welfare knowledge at the World Rugby Medical Commission Conference in Lisbon on Tuesday will feel about the 20-minute red card.

It will be discussed and they may recommend that a red card regardless of the severity of the offence-whether it was accidental or deliberate- should remain just that and no player can replace one that has been sent off.

You can understand their reasoning if that is the case because they must be seen to do all they can to cutdown on head knocks, especially with planned litigation from former players who claim their dementia was down to a lack of duty of care from the rugby authorities.

Grant Gilchrist was sent off for a high tackle against France in the 2023 Six Nations (Image: SNS) Players need to be penalised for high tackles to ensure they happen less and less in games. They also need to be educated from grassroots level up on better tackle technique.

There are many world-class players from previous generations such as Scotland’s 1984 Grand Slam legend Roy Laidlaw who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

There are other high-profile ones such as ex-England World Cup winner Steve Thompson who was diagnosed with early onset dementia.

Already the French and Irish rugby unions have made clear they are against a 20-minute red card for any offence.

Scottish Rugby have yet to decide on their position on the matter but could take a similar stance. The Rugby Football Union is waiting to see how things play out during the Autumn Tests before showing their hand.

Changing things to only send off players for dangerous tackles, malicious play and deliberate foul play makes sense. Accidental collisions that lead to a red card should be dealt with by a player serving 20 minutes before being replaced by a substitute and is worth looking at. 

Rugby continues to evolve and when the Scotland fans turn up at Murrayfield for the autumn Tests they will find more than just the option of twenty-minute red cards among the changes.

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The games will be the first to allow referees to broadcast directly to the crowd and television audiences to explain the reasoning behind a key decision. Think American Football officials and you get the picture.

A 60-second ‘shot clock’ will also be in force for penalties and conversions and praise be!

The set-piece will also come under scrutiny with scrums and line-outs having to be set within 30 seconds of the referee making a mark.

The 20-minute red card and these other changes are an attempt to make the game more attractive, enhance the experience for fans in the stadium and to capture the attention of a far broader audience.

It will be interesting to see if it works.