Limbo at Saracens: 'I'm unsure as to what is going to unfold'

Scotland centre Duncan Taylor admits it will be a waiting game to discover how much rugby he can play during the next two months. Taylor looks set to be among the match-day 23 when Scotland conclude their Autumn Nations Cup campaign against third-place play-off opponents Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

The Scots’ next game after that is a Guinness Six Nations appointment with England at Twickenham on February 6, and Taylor does not know at this stage when his club Saracens will next be in action.

After being relegated from the Gallagher Premiership due to salary cap breaches, Saracens are waiting to discover when the Championship season can start. It has been on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

New Championship club Saracens last played on October 4, concluding Premiership business with a 17-17 draw against Bath. “It is a situation that we can’t really control at the moment and I'm unsure as to what is going to unfold over the next few weeks,” Taylor said.

“I'm sure if we aren’t playing in the Championship by January, we will have some pre-season games or some training games to get stuck into and we are still working very hard week in and week out. We just have to wait and see.

“I think myself and any team I have been a part of have made the most of the situations we have been in so far. Through thick and thin the rugby community has come together, the world has come together and I think there has been a lot of good that has come out of this terrible time.”

Taylor returned to the Scotland fray with an appearance off the bench when they lost to Nations Cup opponents France last month. His career has been scarred by a series of injuries, an inevitable factor in restricting him to 27 caps across a seven-year period, while he last started for Scotland against Russia at the 2019 World Cup.

“Any time you get the chance to play you want to perform and you want to keep coming back for more,” Taylor added. “That is the aim of any player given the jersey, so that doesn’t change from week to week or player to player.

“Whenever you get that chance, you have to try and grab it with both hands and do the jersey proud, I guess. There is a great atmosphere, a lot of enjoyment being in camp. I think during this transitional period it has brought out some great talent, and Scottish rugby is in good hands over the next few years going forward.”