“In a really big moment, you might think ‘I better not do that, it’s a bit 50-50’,” he says. “They [the Toulouse players] just back their confidence completely. They know their ability, they know players around them, they trust everyone. It’s just that sometimes they pull out moves from the training pitch in the biggest games.
“People will say ‘the French love to play rugby and chuck the ball around’, but that’s what they do in training, so it’s part of their skills and their mind-set and they way they get the best out of each other. It’s dead fun to be a part of, to be honest.
“We’ve got players in the [Scotland] squad that have the ability to do that,” Kinghorn adds. “The big thing I’ve noticed [at Toulouse] is players trusting their skills in big moments and not shirking it. That’s probably something I’ve been guilty of in the past; when it gets a bit tight in big games, getting a bit more reserved and not backing yourself as much. Something I’m learning from these boys is to trust yourself and play your rugby.”
Number of players should be reaching their peak
Finn Russell has been an emboldening influence for Scotland, yet the fly-half can only shoulder so much creative responsibility. Townsend hopes that the summer tour to the Americas, undertaken without Russell, will have proved beneficial as a depth-building exercise. Jamie Dobie, another Warrior, was involved in all four matches against Canada, USA, Chile and Uruguay. He started two on the wing and covered scrum-half, his primary position, for the others. The upshot is that Dobie, a strapping athlete, now seems a great option if Townsend fancies a six-two split of forwards on the bench.
At 32, Russell appears more measured than ever on the pitch. The return of Darcy Graham, now 27, adds another game-breaker to Townsend’s backline. Sione Tuipulotu and Kinghorn are also 27, with scrum-half Ben White a year younger. Van der Merwe is 29 and Huw Jones 30. A number of excellent operators should be close to their peak concurrently. Although Kyle Steyn is out, Kyle Rowe is in electric form.
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