Rassie Erasmus Hailed As World’s Best Coach Ahead of Springboks vs Scotland Test

• Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend praised Rassie Erasmus as the best coach in the world ahead of their Nations Championship clash in Pretoria
• Townsend named three changes to his starting XV, with Finn Russell returning from injury as the headline selection for the test against the reigning world champions
• Scotland face South Africa on home soil for the first time since 2014, looking to build on last weekend's victory over Argentina

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has described Springbok director of rugby Rassie Erasmus as the best coach in the world, ahead of Scotland's Nations Championship fixture against South Africa in Pretoria this weekend.

Townsend addressed the media at length following his team announcement and did not hold back when asked about the man his side must overcome on Saturday.

"He's obviously the best coach in the world and has been for a while," Townsend said. "He produces winning performances. I think his teams are based on winning. It's about finding a way to win. They play with an intensity and they work hard for each other. He's created that with the team and they've got the best depth in the world right now too."

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The two coaches share a history of competitive encounters, having gone head-to-head when Townsend led Glasgow Warriors and Erasmus was in charge of Munster.

Scotland's Changes for Pretoria Test

Townsend made three alterations to the XV that overcame Argentina last weekend. The most significant is the return of fly-half Finn Russell, who missed the previous fixture through injury. In the front row, Zander Fagerson has been promoted from the replacements bench to fill in for the injured Elliot Millar-Mills, while Gregor Brown comes into the starting line-up in place of Jonny Gray, who has been left out of the 23-man squad entirely.

On the bench, Townsend chose a 6-2 split between forwards and backs despite weighing a 7-1 option, with Stafford McDowall, Will Hurd, Magnus Bradbury and Josh Bayliss all named among the replacements.

First Visit to South Africa Since 2014

Saturday's contest marks Scotland's first appearance on South African soil against the Boks since 2014, and they arrive as clear underdogs. The reigning world champions are widely regarded as the most formidable international side in the sport and will present an entirely different challenge to what Scotland encountered against Argentina.

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Despite the daunting task ahead, Townsend's side will carry confidence from their opening Nations Championship result, and the head coach's own experience of competing against Erasmus-coached teams at club level suggests he is under no illusions about what awaits them in Pretoria.

Source: Briefly News