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Gregor Townsend breaks silence on his Scotland future

By PA
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend/ PA

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend indicated he has no intention of stepping down as he reflected on a second consecutive fourth-placed finish in the Guinness Six Nations.

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The 51-year-old is contracted until April next year but his ability to take the team any further forward after almost eight years at the helm is under scrutiny following a campaign defined by defeats to Ireland, England and France.

When quizzed about his future in the wake of Saturday’s 35-16 loss in Paris, Townsend did not seem like a man planning an exit as he spoke of the “encouragement” he had taken from the performances at Twickenham and Stade de France in particular.

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“No, not at all,” he said when asked if he had any inclination to walk away. “It wouldn’t be the right thing to do anyway. I still feel a massive privilege being in this role. It gives me a big purpose in my life.

“You need time to reflect after tournaments because I know what I’m like. I’m really proud of the performance (against France), but as soon as I start watching the video again, I’ll be down for a few days.

“My initial feeling is that what we’re asking our team to go and deliver, they did it in really tough circumstances and tough environments and that’s the basis of a team that can kick on. I’m encouraged by the displays and by the players that are coming through.”

Six Nations

P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
France
5
4
1
0
21
2
England
5
4
1
0
20
3
Ireland
5
4
1
0
19
4
Scotland
5
2
3
0
11
5
Italy
5
1
4
0
5
6
Wales
5
0
5
0
3
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Reflecting on a tournament in which Scotland’s only victories came at home to Italy and Wales, Townsend said: “There’s a bit of disappointment there. The big disappointment was the Ireland game (a 32-18 defeat).

“The other performances were very good and even the two away defeats, the way the players played at Twickenham and Paris, those were some of the best performances I believe a Scotland team has put in in those two venues.

“We’re disappointed we didn’t finish higher in the championship but we had really good results and really good performances too. We’re certainly encouraged by the last three performances.”

Townsend believes the fact his team finished fourth is testament to “the quality of the competition”.

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“No team can play well for five games and no team has not lost a game this year,” he said. “Last year Ireland lost against England, this year France lost against England. Our game that we didn’t play at our highest level was Ireland.

“I know we didn’t win against England but it was still a very good performance. It shows we’re close to those teams. France have had an amazing tournament and have blown teams away and had a big win away to Ireland, and (in Paris on Saturday) we went toe to toe with them.”

Scotland’s next assignment is a summer tour of the Pacific Islands and New Zealand, where they will play the Maori All Blacks. Townsend hopes there will be several key players missing due to British and Irish Lions involvement.

“We chatted to (Lions coach) Andy Farrell after the England game and he liked the way we played down there,” he said. “If we do have a few players in the Lions, that’s a good thing for our depth.

“Last year we took a lot of younger players on our summer tour. We’ll be taking a strong squad this year but let’s hope we’re missing a few and we can take a few young guys.”

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DP 37 days ago

Question to the Scottish supporters on here:


Are you happy with Gregor at the helm?if not who would you like see in charge?


Cracking game on the weekend, gutted for you all, “if only” you’d managed to convert those created chances..

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SK 1 hour ago
'Haves and have nots': The Six Nations numbers reveal hidden truths

Really interesting stats, especially around the scrums and the props spending so little time in them. The game is changing and is becoming faster but its also heavily territory and momentum dependent now. The amount of tries scored by forwards in the top 3 teams shows the importance of forward firepower at the lineout and is also of great importance when you are 5m out trying to get over the line from general play. Ireland don’t have behemoths but do well in this area due to superior technique and quality, France have the biggest most powerful pack and replace them with an arguably bigger pack with the 7-1 and England have plenty of power in this area. Teams are choosing to retain territory and use pens as a launchpad for dominating territory. Exits have also never been as important as they are today with teams giving away turnovers in their own half being heavily punished. The 50-22 is also important in this respect and we have seen how kickers go for it when on or inside their own 10. This especially happens directly after an aerial duel contest is won or in the event of a turnover in midfield. With the winger out of place and defence scrambling at the line a kicker is well within his rights to go for the 50-22. Giving away back to back penalties is also a no no as this leads to a 60-80m retreat. The Six Nations proves that in the modern age territorial supremacy and forward based power is what is winning games and championships.

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SK 1 hour ago
South African rugby's top heavy house of cards

I think everyone knows that the SA teams are prioritising the URC which is why they have been so bad in Europe. The champions cup group stage fixtures couldnt come at a worse time for SA franchises. They come hot on the heels of the Autumn internationals and in December and Jan when its coldest in Europe and as hot as it gets in SA. During this period SA franchises have to leap from Africa to Europe one week after the next. SA franchises sometimes have to hop from Europe back to Africa and then back to Europe in 3 to 4 weeks. Mandatory Springbok rest periods are opted into by franchises to keep the players fit as the Springbok players cannot play year-round and injuries take their toll. Fatigue also sets in for players who have played non-stop since March as there is no global calendar. They don’t get a chance to regroup again until the six nations. SA teams prioritise what’s in front of them. The Springboks are top heavy and SA franchises are in Transition between the new and older generation. There are lots of youngsters coming through but they need more time at the top level. Coaching is also in transition in SA Rugby with many coaches at a young age. The age group levels SA has underperformed but the talent is there. Its coming through at franchise level and these players are getting great experience playing in a variety of comps. I would hardly call it a house of cards though. Succession planning has already become a reality. At Prop the Springboks are already replacing the seniors, at Scrum Half the Springboks are building depth and at 10 they have loads of options now and at 4 and 5 the Boks have used a host of players in recent years. Rassie has a plan for 2027 and the best coaching staff at international level. He has some difficult questions in front of him when it comes to the squad but is finding answers at the moment. Yes its possible Springbok performances could dip this year and perhaps in 2026 however I would not bet against them continuing to dominate while in transition. There were similar doubts cast about them last year and they proved the doubters wrong.

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