Gregor Townsend on Red Bull role

The Scotsman

Gregor Townsend discusses his new role with Red Bull which he will perform alongside his duties as Scotland coach

Transcript

00:00What's the reaction there has been to those two pieces of news?

00:04Well, my own reflections, I don't really follow it, so I suppose it's been a change in my situation.

00:15I'm absolutely hugely privileged to be able to extend my time in the Scotland head coach role.

00:24I'm incredibly grateful to be able to do something which I feel is going to benefit me as a coach,

00:31the coaching group, the management group, and also Scottish rugby.

00:34That's something I'm doing at my own time, but I focus primarily and fully over the next five weeks as a Scotland,

00:44and that's what excites me the most.

00:46Do you understand why people are being critical of the way it looks that you've taken on another role as well?

00:53Yeah, look, everyone's got their opinions. It's something that obviously I've talked about with Scottish rugby,

01:00and the benefits that we saw in the role. Again, in my own time, I'd like to learn from other sports and other organisations.

01:10This gives me an opportunity to do that, but it's not going to be something that I'm focusing on in the next few weeks,

01:19because that's going to be a Scotland job.

01:21What are the benefits in the long term, or in the term of the rest of your contract here with the role with Red Bull,

01:28and other aspects of it that you will need to be weighing up in terms of the diversion of your time?

01:34Yeah, absolutely. I think, look, when you're with the national team as a coach, as a head coach,

01:41there's times when it's really intense, and you're in camps and you're on staying in hotels,

01:45but there's times throughout the year when you can choose what to do.

01:49Some people do the media, some people do work away from rugby, and on this opportunity I have,

01:56is to work with another sporting organisation or a company that runs different sports,

02:02and I feel that's going to be helpful for my learning. They obviously want what I can contribute in terms of advice.

02:12Scottish rugby are very well aware of what that means, and I have to be aware if there's any potential conflicts.

02:21But I don't see any, but if there are, then I have to flag that up with my bosses.

02:27So that's something to be aware of, yes.

02:30How confident are you? There will be no crossover, no distractions, no conflicts I'm interested in this situation?

02:36Well, I'm well aware of my role and the time that I'm able to allocate, and I've got to make sure I manage that,

02:45because it'll be less holidays and less time off over the next couple of years,

02:50but that also can be a real positive in terms of energising me and being involved on a wider level with sport and management,

03:01and that's what I've felt like over the last couple of months. Some of the experiences I've had, it has been energising,

03:07but the full focus when I'm with Scotland, and also in the planning phases of Scotland, that's the priority in life.

03:15That's the main role that I'm having, and the role gives me a massive purpose in my life, and something I'm totally committed to.

03:24I think you've scored Magnus Bradbury back in it, I think he's played since 2022, what would you see on him to bring him back into it?

03:31Well, I think how he developed last year, both as a leader and how he was playing on the field, we had regular connections with him.

03:40We did think about taking him on tour, and that didn't happen for a couple of reasons, nothing to do with rugby,

03:48and it's been great that at the start of this season, he's carried on that form, he's captain of the club,

03:56he's always been a very physical player, Magnus, a hard worker, and I think he's still at a very good age to play his best rugby,

04:05so he'll get an opportunity, so it's great coming back.

04:09Jack Fancy also, another one that's been out for a while, when do you visit him being involved?

04:14Yeah, this week, probably not with us, but fully training by next week, so we know he's fully training with Glasgow,

04:21and whether he's playing with them or not the weekend, we'll wait and see when they announce their team,

04:27that's in back room, and he did look, he did play a game, and looked good in that game at the start of the season,

04:34and his little setback was a different injury, so he's recovered quickly from that.

04:40We know he hasn't played a lot of rugby since that Wales game, but he was looking good at the beginning of the season,

04:47and we hope over the next couple of weeks he can get some minutes in on the training field and in games.

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