Gregor Townsend’s search to find a solution to Scotland’s poor away form in the Guinness Six Nations will see him take the national squad to a training camp in Spain before this year’s tournament opener in Dublin.
Scotland will spend the part of the week at a warm-weather mini-camp north of Alicante and fly direct to Dublin for the game, arriving on Thursday January 30 for the match against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on February 1.
Other than a few wins in Rome against Italy, Scotland have not won away at the other four nations in the championship since the win over Ireland at Croke Park in 2011. The draw at Twickenham against England was the first time Townsend had avoided a Six Nations loss away from Murrayfield in his tenure other than matches against Italy.
Under Townsend the team camp has been based for Six Nations and Autumn test campaigns at the Oriam facility in the Heriot-Watt University campus west of Edinburgh, with occasional week breaks to use the University of St Andrews’ extensive training facilities while staying at the Old Course Hotel.
However England, Wales and Ireland have habitually gone overseas for pre-tournament training camps not only to get ideal weather conditions but also escape external distractions, and now Scotland are following suit.
The Scots will fly direct to Ireland from Spain two days before the game, in another departure from recent practice. Townsend’s team flew in the day before their game in Dublin two years ago and didn’t even have the traditional “captain’s run” training session at the Aviva Stadium on the eve of the game.
The change in preparations is not a direct result of Scotland’s disappointing Rugby World Cup campaign, but more related to previous experiences in preparing for the Six Nations Championship.
Scotland will go in this year’s 6 Nations without at least three senior players who have announced their retirement from international rugby, former captains Greig Laidlaw and John Barclay, and wing Tommy Seymour.
Townsend will naming a pre-tournament squad and captain in the next week, and is also working in a changing coaching team with Welshman Steve Tandy replacing Matt Taylor as defensive specialist, Pieter de Villiers becoming scrum coach while Danny Wilson will be in his final campaign as forwards coach before he joins Glasgow Warriors.