'Knock them off': Scotland's latest recruits sets ambitions as 'wrestling' fitness test passed

Victories next month against New Zealand and Argentina would be a good place to start, reckons the former England rugby league international, who has come in to replace Steve Tandy following the latter’s appointment as Wales head coach.

Radford will combine the new job with his existing posting at Northampton Saints until the end of the season before going full-time with Scotland.

He joined up with the squad at the weekend and likes what he’s seen so far.

“I've only been in three days but the buy-in has been really big,” said Radford, a Super League and Challenge Cup winner during a storied rugby league career with Bradford Bulls and Hull FC. “Even speaking to the senior players or the defensive leaders, they were singing from the same hymn sheet. Progress on the Scotland team over the last ten years has been obvious and they're able to compete with the top teams in the world.”

Developing a killer instinct

They will soon have the chance to prove it. Scotland open their autumn Test campaign on Saturday when USA visit Murrayfield and they’ll end it versus Tonga on November 23 but it’s the games in between against New Zealand and Argentina that will be the litmus test for Gregor Townsend’s side.

“I think knocking one or two of those sides off, starting with the games coming up, the All Blacks game and Argentina,” said Radford. “It won't do us any harm, knocking those two sides off, that is for sure. I think [Scotland] have shown over the last couple of seasons how well they can compete, and having a little bit of that killer instinct amongst the big boys is obviously the next step.”

Zander Fagerson update

Scotland have never beaten the All Blacks and their cause would be strengthened next month by the availability of all their top players. Radford reported that those who had arrived in camp with ailments were in good health, including Zander Fagerson who has not played for seven months due to calf and knee issues.

“Well, he just rattled me in the wrestling session, so if that's a fitness test, then he's passed it!” smiled Radford.

He said that Rory Darge was also progressing well in his recovery from a knee injury and that Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe were on course to be available for the USA game despite missing Edinburgh’s match in Cardiff last Saturday with heel and knee problems.

“They've been in and around it today, so they've got a chance of selection,” Radford said of the two wingers.

Pivotal visit to Scotland camp

Although he is new to the job, Radford is not unfamiliar with the set-up. He visited the Scotland camp two years ago and credits the experience with helping Northampton win the Premiership title.

Having just been appointed the Saints’ defence guru - his first coaching job in union - Radford asked Tandy if he could come up and observe Scotland.

“Coming from league a couple of years ago to Northampton, [there were] a couple of fundamentals that I really went after,” he explained. “I thought whatever code you're playing, these two things are going to be really high on your priority. Watching the Six Nations and statistically looking at the teams, Scotland defended very, very similar.

“Reaching out to Steve and spending some time with Steve, it reassured me when I first jumped in and met the transition, that I was making the right calls in which direction we were heading. We obviously ended up winning the Premiership on the back of that. Speaking with Steve, speaking with Gregor previously, I think the similarities or the fundamentals are what we go after.”

Radford is in no doubt that the trip north helped smooth his transition from league to union after a tricky start to his time with Northampton.

“I think it was reassuring, definitely. I think in the first four or five games we'd lost a couple. And like everything, you question: am I on the right path? It's a new court, am I doing the right things? But coming up here and seeing them do very similar things to what we were doing, we just weren't icing it at that point. It was like a switch flipped during that period and we went on to have an unbelievable season.”

Northampton ended up beating Bath in the Premiership final and then, last season, went all the way to the European Champions Cup final where they lost to Bordeaux. Scotland will be hoping they can scale similar heights with Radford’s help and the coach believes all the building blocks are in place.

Most hated man in rugby league!

“They're a sound defensive team,” he said. “Without changing too much, what tweaks can we make to hopefully improve us?

“System-wise, the stats don't lie. You're very tackle efficient, you're very line-break efficient. Minimum off-loads when you play opposition. There's a couple of other little bits I really want to get after.”

He added that “the opportunity to coach some of the best players in the world” was not one to pass up.

The thorny issue of a former England international coaching Scotland is not one that troubles him unduly and he is already looking forward to the Calcutta Cup. It helps that his partner is from Lossiemouth and Radford has already had experience of facing England when he was a coach with the Samoa rugby league team.

“We played England in the first round of the World Cup and they beat us 60-6. You can imagine the flak? First game in charge, defence coach, 60 points!

“Then we beat them in the semi-final at Arsenal. I was the most hated man in rugby league, so if I can become that again in rugby union, I'll be pleased!”