SCOTT JOHNSON may be a far less conspicuous presence on the Scottish rugby scene than in the days when he was the national team's caretaker coach, but the Australian is still playing a big part in the life of Edinburgh centre Matt Scott.
Johnson championed Scott's abilities when he filled the Scotland coaching gap between Andy Robinson and Vern Cotter, and he is still on the 24-year-old's case in an effort to make sure the player lives up to his potential.
A serious shoulder injury picked up at the end of last season means that Scott has yet to play for Cotter - he took over at the beginning of June - and conversations between the two have been limited to pleasantries in the Murrayfield corridors. However, Johnson has ensured that he has kept his international focus.
"I have been liaising with Scott quite a lot," said the player. "Before I came back from injury, we were doing a bit of stuff together, just getting my head back into thinking about rugby and the role of the centre. We watched clips of a few centres playing. So I have been in contact with him, but nothing with Vern. It was quite good to get my mind round that. In my four or five months out I had not really thought about the technical aspects of the game; I was more just focusing on getting myself back. It was a good help to do that."
Scott missed Edinburgh's 48-0 win against Treviso last weekend as he was carrying a hip knock, but he is now set to return to action in the 1872 Cup clash with Glasgow at Scotstoun on Saturday, a match that is likely to pit him against his in-form Scotland midfield partner Alex Dunbar.
"I have played with and against Alex quite a lot," said Scott. "He is getting a lot of good press at the moment and he is playing really well. He had a great autumn series and he has been playing well for Glasgow. I'm confident in my ability to stop him, but he is the form centre at the moment and you have to respect him for that. He's done well."
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