Stafford McDowall shocked to lead Scotland against Canada

Stafford McDowall has revealed his shock when it was announced he would co-captain Scotland for the first time in their summer tour opener against Canada on Saturday.

The 26-year-old Glasgow Warriors centre has been invited by Gregor Townsend to lead the team along with Edinburgh flanker Luke Crosbie for the match at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, where five players will make their debuts with five uncapped players on the bench.

It will be only the third appearance for Scotland for McDowall, who won his first cap in a World Cup warm-up against Italy in 2023 before making his Six Nations debut against Ireland in Dublin earlier this year.

He said: “Gregor told me that when we arrived at camp last week he told Luke and I that we would be co-captains, so it was a bit of a shock.

“I was a bit overwhelmed and immediately called my dad to say he was coming to the game on Saturday. So I think he’s also really excited to see him.

“He had always planned to come to a game and as soon as he heard I was co-captain he said, ‘OK, that’s the one, I’ll be there for that one.’

“It’s also a special day for my family. My father has obviously played such a big role in my career so I’m delighted to share this day with him as well.”

McDowall believes his status with the Warriors will help him cope with the pressures of leading his country.

If I can lead by playing my own game and playing my own game well, then that’s probably the best way to do it.

Stafford McDowall

He said: “I think being part of the Glasgow leadership group has been huge for my development, giving me the confidence to express my ideas.

“The leadership group is so open that everyone can share their ideas and everyone contributes in their own way.

“I don’t think it changes much in terms of what you want to get out of the tour, it’s all about your performance.

“Obviously I don’t have a lot of caps myself, but I’m probably one of the oldest and most experienced pros on this team.

“If I can lead by playing my own game and playing my own game well, then that’s probably the best way to do it.

“I think everyone is really excited to be playing for Scotland. Obviously we’ve got a lot of new caps at the same club and they’re all really happy to do their best here.”

After facing the Canadians in Ottawa, the Scots will face the United States in Washington on July 12, then meet Chile in Santiago on July 20 before finishing the tour against Uruguay in Montevideo seven days later.

McDowall believes the confidence gained from Glasgow’s stunning victory over the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship final in Pretoria last month, where they came from 13-0 down to win 21-16, will carry over to the Scotland squad, even though he did not play the game due to a hand injury.

He said: “The boys that played in that final and everyone in the team I suppose took so much confidence from the fact that they went to a place like Pretoria and they certainly didn’t do what they wanted to do.

“They were 13-0 down before the end of the first half. It shows everyone that it is possible in one of the toughest places in the world to play rugby, and against a good team too.

“It will give everyone a huge amount of confidence because when it comes to tough moments in games they just know we have the players and we have the systems in place to deliver.

“Of course I didn’t get the chance to play in the final, but being a part of it, seeing the way the team prepared throughout the week, the confidence they put into that game and the way they handled the tough moments, it definitely filtered through the whole team and hopefully it will carry over here as well.”