EVER one for innovation and trying ideas that have worked elsewhere, Gregor Townsend appears to owe his decision to make Henry Pyrgos and Jonnie Gray joint captains for the season to a conversation with World Cup winning All Blacks coach Wayne Smith.
"He told us it was a unique thing here, but it had worked well in New Zealand," Pyrgos revealed in his first interview in his new role. "He said he’d spoken to Wayne Smith about it – obviously a well-respected coach – and it had worked very well for him. It was something that could only enhance us as a squad and help us do better."
Even though they have several models to look at in New Zealand Pyrgos and Gray both admitted they were still working through the details of how the new arrangement will work in practice.
"It's something that will definitely evolve because it's not set in stone," Pyrgos added. "It's new to us but there are teams who have done it in the past– in New Zealand particularly. In certain weeks one of us will probably take the lead a little bit more depending on the game situation, referees, etc. That Is probably how I see it going, but were still learning and it will be developing as we go along."
The job-share model is becoming almost the standard way of doing things in New Zealand – even the country's Olympic team elected to share the top job – and is seen to have a number of advantages, particularly when the two leaders cover different units. Last year the Highlanders won Super Rugby with Ben Smith, a back-three player, and Nasi Manu, the No8, now at Edinburgh, in charge, mimicked by Glasgow with Pyrgos at scrum-half and Gray at lock.
"There are lots of leaders in the team like Rob Harley, Josh Strauss and other guys who have captained before," Gray pointed out. "On the pitch there is always communication but it is new to us and I'm just thrilled and honoured."
They were speaking at the launch of the new Glasgow kit, with both at pains to pay tribute to the decision to include the names of all the players who have managed 100 games for the club in a panel on the side of the home shirt – even though both miss out on the honour. Pyrgos played his 100th game a couple of months after the cut-off date and Gray is still some way off.
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