Scotland forwards coach Dan McFarland will be a proud man when he takes his seat in the stands at BT Murrayfield on Saturday.
McFarland followed head coach Gregor Townsend from Glasgow to the Scotland set-up for the summer tour and is set to take in a first Test on home soil when they tackle Samoa.
The pair, along with defence coach Matt Taylor, enjoyed a largely successful start to their reign with the Scotland team with wins over Italy and Australia before a disappointing defeat to Fiji.
WATCH | Team Run done for the Scotland squad ahead of tomorrow’s game v Samoa at BT Murrayfield! Remaining tickets available from website #AsOne pic.twitter.com/uCWq4x016t
– Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) November 10, 2017 However McFarland admits there is a different atmosphere around the squad as the first game of the international season approaches.
“For me, I approach this first home series by making sure I soak up every minute of it,” the Englishman said. “You have a job to do, a job that I’m extremely lucky that I enjoy doing so I get to savour atmosphere and feeling at the same time I’m doing my work.
“There is a buzz about international rugby. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a supporter, a player, or a coach like me; there’s a Cricket Buzz.
“You’re representing a nation and there are a lot of people who are so excited about it, none less than my family who are up for the weekend so it is a proud moment and you feel that among the players and especially in the front row where we have a number of debutants.
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– Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) November 9, 2017 “You can feel the buzz and the bounce in their step in anticipation of playing at BT Murrayfield.
“What a fantastic opportunity for them.”
Townsend, who has named four uncapped players in his match-day squad with Darryl Marfo set to start, is looking to play a fast-paced game and McFarland expects a bumper Edinburgh crowd to be entertained against the pacific islanders.
He said: “We want to play at tempo, and at pace.
“We’re a fit team with a lot of fit players so we want to take advantage of that.
WATCH | Your first look at Gregor Townsend’s 23-man Scotland squad to face Samoa this Saturday at BT Murrayfield.
Read full story ➡️ website #AsOne pic.twitter.com/e1KUFw1Ug9
– Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) November 9, 2017 “It fits as well, because it’s an attractive brand of rugby and you want to play at tempo, and it’s the kind of rugby that people want to watch.
“It suits the Scottish legacy that I grew up watching in Six Nations rugby. That was about high tempo and running the opposition off their feet.”
Forward Ryan Wilson, who has been named as one of the vice-captains, is cautious about trying to do too much with the ball in hand, however.
“They’re a team that loves to chuck the ball around,” he said. “They’ve got some outstanding individuals in their team, and they are so unpredictable with the ball in hand.
“These teams when you play against them, if you try and match them you probably won’t get near them.
“We know what we have to do tomorrow, we have to make sure we don’t get carried away with the type of rugby we play.”