Scotland’s new defense coach Lee Radford has been impressed by what he has seen so far

Scotland’s new defense coach Lee Radford believes gregor townsendThe side is ready to fully emerge.

The Englishman arrived in Edinburgh earlier this week to begin his stint with the Scots as they prepare for November’s Test matches against the United States, New Zealand, Argentina and Tonga.

Radford – Appointed as Steve Tandy’s successor– who left in July to become Wales head coach – feels he has joined the Scotland team at a time when their key players are entering “their best years” and are ready to deliver on their promise.

“I think fundamentally I’ve always had ambitions to coach at international level,” Radford said at a news conference on Tuesday. “This is an opportunity to coach some of the best players in the world, and it’s not an opportunity you should miss.

“I think there are two real advantages to this group. The average age is a good age. It’s almost reaching their best years. Secondly, the number of caps they have played together consistently. The cohesion amongst the group is another strength.”

Radford, who will continue to combine his Scotland job with his role as Northampton’s defense coach until the end of the season, is excited to build on the foundation laid by predecessor Tandy.

“Normally when you get a job it’s dependent on someone else not doing such a good job, but I’ve been in a job where you look across the board and they’re in a good position defensively,” he said.

“They’re a strong defensive team. System-wise, the stats don’t lie. They’re very tackle-skilled, very line-break skilled. There’s some other little things I really want to accomplish.

“It’s only been three days, but the buy-in has been really big. Even talking to senior players or defensive leaders, they’re singing from the same hymn book, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Radford hopes Scotland can show the “killer instinct” needed to deliver some big results next month.

“I think it won’t hurt us to eliminate one or two of those sides, starting with the coming games, the All Blacks game and Argentina,” he said.

“I think Scotland have shown over the last few seasons how well they can compete, and having a bit of that killer instinct amongst the big boys is obviously the next step.”

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