Heading into the World Cup, Gregor Townsend found himself with an itch to scratch. One which had been 28 years in the making.
When the Scotland football team last kicked a ball in anger on the world stage, Townsend had been there to witness it first-hand in France ’98.
The infamous 3-0 defeat to Morocco in Saint-Etienne became part of the itinerary for Townsend’s stag weekend.
Earlier this year, Andy Nicol, the former Scotland rugby captain and close friend to Townsend, told Daily Mail Sport how they only made it into the stadium with seconds to spare.
The fact that the team were then 2-0 down by half-time prompted thoughts of an early exit, but they stuck with it and saw that match out to its grim finale.
Perhaps it was those memories that made Townsend feel compelled to go back and do it all over again this summer.
Townsend speaks to the media during his trip to watch Scotland in the football World Cup
Clarke resigned as Scotland manager after the team failed to progress from the group stage
Certainly, being in attendance in the stadium in Boston for Scotland’s opening 1-0 win over Haiti, he must have felt like a brighter tournament lay ahead. We all did. Yet, just over a week down the line, Scotland had been knocked out and Steve Clarke decided to hand in his resignation.
For Townsend, to witness the high of the nation’s first World Cup in in 36 years, to then see the crushing lows which followed, it only underlined the perils of international coaching.
He and Clarke would often exchange text messages and bounce ideas off of each other. The pair had actually met in Boston in the aftermath of the Haiti game.
But it is a brutally cut-throat business. As Townsend and his Scotland players prepare for the start of the inaugural Nations Championship against Argentina tomorrow, a degree of sympathy for Clarke was hard to avoid.
‘Well, it was an amazing experience to be at the World Cup,’ insisted the Scotland rugby head coach.
‘There was so much optimism and joy going into the Haiti game. To get to experience that as a supporter, you don’t see that when you’re a coach or a player.
‘On a match-day, you’re obviously dialled in to your job. So, honestly, it was wonderful. I felt so proud seeing everything with all the fans in Boston. It made me proud to be Scottish.
‘And also being involved in international sport, knowing what that means and knowing how much love the supporters have for the national team at football.
‘We feel it with the rugby team, too, and how you can make a difference in people’s lives. It was special. People were looking forward to that event, that trip, for months, some for years. And they seemed to enjoy it to the max.
‘I am obviously disappointed for Steve that he’s no longer our manager. He always messaged me before games. I met him and his family after the Haiti game. It was great just chatting to him and his family. So I wish him all the very best in whatever he decides to do in the future.’
On how quickly things changed for Clarke and the pressure that built prior to his resignation, Townsend continued: ‘Yeah, that’s sport.
‘We know when we go into it, the highs and lows of winning and losing are there, no matter what level you coach at. You’re scrutinised more, whether you’re at a big club or especially at an international level.
‘We go into the job not just because we want to experience the joys of winning or seeing people achieve things. We understand that there’s some downsides too as well.
‘So, yeah, it’s always tough for anybody involved when you lose and when you decide to move on from the role that you put so much effort into.’
Townsend and his players spent some time in Buenos Aires, where they watched Argentina’s World Cup over Jordan with some of the locals.
They have now travelled to Cordoba for tomorrow night’s clash with Los Pumas at the Estadio Mario Kempes.
World Cup fever has been impossible to avoid and Townsend knows that the passion of the home crowd will make for a hostile atmosphere.
‘I remember Mario Kempes,’ he continued. ‘I was five years old in 1978 [when Argentina won the World Cup on home soil, with Kempes finishing as top scorer].
‘But I obviously remember a lot of that World Cup from a Scotland perspective. And just the way the footage looked, with the Argentina-Holland final.
‘We are here right now when the World Cup is going on. We were watching the England game together as a group on Wednesday night.
‘On Saturday night in Buenos Aires, we went out for a meal as a group when the Argentina game was on – and the whole place just went quiet. Our hotel was close to the main drag in Buenos Aires. It was great to see the passion of all the locals. They turned the music off. Everybody was glued to the screens. We know what football means to Argentina.
‘We also know what representing your country means to Argentina. They’re a very proud nation – as are we in Scotland. So it’s good timing that we’re here when the country is getting excited about the football World Cup.
‘The timeline also works for us better than Scotland, having to stay up until one in the morning to watch a game. We get to see it late afternoon, early evening.’
Finn Russell has been left out of the squad for this weekend’s opener against Argentina
In a Nations Championship which also sees them travel to face South Africa next weekend before hosting Fiji at Murrayfield, Scotland begin with a tough assignment in Cordoba.
It was against Argentina at Murrayfield last November that Scotland blew a 21-point lead, a capitulation that led to calls for Townsend to be sacked or resign.
To his credit, Scotland were much improved in the Six Nations and went into the final weekend against Ireland with a chance of winning the title, before falling short.
They will have to get the job done without Finn Russell this weekend, who won’t be risked but should be fit enough to play the Springboks next weekend.
On the new competition, Townsend said: ‘We have three big Test matches against quality sides, two of which are away from home. I think once you get to November, you start looking ahead in terms of what a win would mean, where would you play the final weekend? But for now, our challenge is just Argentina and the threats they bring and how we get our game in place straight away.
‘It was a really painful one for us against them back in November. We have spoken about that this week and addressed it, as we did going into the Six Nations as well. We took a lot of learnings from that day. But the test comes when you’re away from home and there’s 50,000 fans creating a hostile environment.
‘Then you see how connected we are, to see the solutions that we can bring on the field to change that momentum, which Argentina will obviously have at some stage. It will be three tough games but we feel we are ready for it.’
