Gregor Townsend thinks that Fraser Brown is in the form of his life, and the new Scotland captain for the opening Autumn Test against Georgia at BT Murrayfield thinks it’s down to a fresh perspective.
Part of it is due to being a father for the first time earlier this year, but a lot of it is to do with the lockdown, and the always thoughtful Brown thinks that’s manifested itself right throughout all rugby, not just with him.
Simply put, seven months being unable to play or train has rekindled players’ love for the game.
“Things can change year to year and you perhaps don’t really notice them normally,” said Brown, who has taken a long time to be a captain but now has the job for Glasgow and for Scotland. “Obviously being a new dad was a big change, but also what’s happened in the last seven months with Covid.”
Seven months with his wife and new son and his parents made him appreciate family life, while the separation for his brother and his family in New Zealand has been felt acutely, he said.
“But also your appreciation for what you do grows, and your love of rugby, and you miss the guys you probably spend most of your life with, and I think it’s not just for me but for everyone,” he continued.
“When you watch some of the rugby that’s gone on over the last couple of months, you see how much better guys seem to be connecting with each other, and I think that’s because of a renewed love of what they do and who they do it with.
“The bonds between players have actually grown because of what we’ve been through over the last few months.”
That renewal has been clear in the two weeks of training for Scotland so far, and will hopefully continue on to the pitch in this seven-week run of six test matches, continued Brown.
“When everyone came in last week you could see the enthusiasm everybody had to come in, meet up and be part of the squad again, to learn and work hard,” he said.
“That tells a lot of how excited guys are about playing test match rugby again. It’s like no other, it is fast, there will be injuries, people will drop in and out of the squad and guys may have to miss games or training through Covid.
“We have to deal with it and everybody is capable of coming in and out and meeting the challenges the next six to eight weeks bring.”
For Brown personally, it’s meant a little reflection on his long journey through potentially career-ending injuries to be captain of his country ten years later – and it was a Scotland game against Georgia that was maybe even part of the re-start for him.
“The World Cup of 2011 was when I was missing time, just from rugby in general,” he said. “I’d had a number of difficulties in the previous years, and I think watching the games in 2011, including the one against Georgia, gave me the bug to go and play rugby again.
“I guess it was the start of the journey I’ve made the last 8-9-10 years. I don’t think it galvanised me as such but it definitely gave me that final push.”
That was a close game, but Brown’s involvement in the last three games against the Lelos, including two as warm-upos for last year’s World Cup, has seen the Scots win handsomely each time.
“The game in Tbilisi we went out there and met the energy and passion that the Georgians bring and did it really well,” he continued.
“The game at Murrayfield was a lot tighter than the scoreline reflects, and was just down them being such a big team. It takes a while for any team to break them down.
“In international rugby You have to be on it from minute one to minute eighty, you have to be disciplined in your approach, not just with the referee, but within your structures and have that patience to attack.
“There will be mistakes as it is the first time we have been together as a team in a game for quite a while, but we need to be professional enough so that we can gel, keep the processes in place and keep that discipline”
