SIX NATIONS

Resurgent Strauss ready to tackle his doubters head on

Back-row forward intent on adding consistency to his power game
On the front foot: Josh Strauss has upped his work rate and found favour once again
On the front foot: Josh Strauss has upped his work rate and found favour once again
STUART WALLACE

Josh Strauss the workhorse. Even he would laugh at the description, but there’s definitely something afoot. Last week in the loss to Ireland, he made 29 tackles, breaking the Scottish record for a Six Nations match. He also made 17 carries and played the full 80 minutes for only the fourth time in a Test.

Several days later, you expect he’ll still have his feet up, but he asks you to call back while he finishes the vacuuming. Hang on a minute: is he not meant to be the bloke who leaves the dirty work to others? The guy who stands over a ruck or rug and declares, “You’ve missed a bit”?

“Whenever I play with Jamie Ritchie, I always joke with him that he’s