Gregor Townsend pleased with 'tough workout' as Scotland A beat Chile

Gregor Townsend saw Scotland A beat Chile 45-5 in Santiago and said there were plenty of positives he could take from the first match of the South American tour.

The A team’s match was a warm-up before three tests against Argentina and gave the head coach the opportunity to play some younger players and he see his team take on an improving side.

After a one-sided first half gave Scotland a 28-0 lead, the hosts improved after the break and Townsend said he learned plenty from the match.

“We got a really tough workout,” he said. “We had to fight in that second half to keep Chile out and they did eventually score a try.

“We’ve got some areas of our game we know we’ll have to work on more next week but there were a lot of positives. The way we played in the first half, the way some young players integrated into the team, and the way we took our opportunities was great to see. Our strong finish was also pleasing.

“Chile are a very good rugby team. They are physical and committed with some very good rugby players. They grew as the game went on so that’s a sign of a team that’s improving and learning what is working from them on the field.”

The head coach had praise for Edinburgh’s Damien Hoyland after his hat trick of tries, and was pleased overall with how his team and squad are looking ahead of their nex stage of the tour and the matches against the Pumas.

“It’s very important that we’ve had a game and a few training sessions since we arrived here and now we’ve got a week’s build-up to play our first Test against Argentina,” Townsend added.

“Not everyone who played today will play against Argentina but I’m so pleased for our young players to get that opportunity to come on a Scotland tour and train and play for their country and go back next season with their clubs with things they want to build on or improve on.”