Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend insists he and his side have learned from their autumn failings before they start their Six Nations campaign in Rome on Saturday.
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend insists he and his side have learned from their autumn failings before they start their Six Nations campaign in Rome on Saturday.
Bookended by comfortable wins against the United States and Tonga, the Scots threw away a 21-point lead to lose against Argentina and were unable to capitalise on a wave of second-half momentum in their defeat to New Zealand in November.
Townsend will reach his 100th match in charge of the national team during the Six Nations but has faced criticism from some fans and pundits who feel he has taken Scotland as far as he can.
They finished third in the 2018 tournament - Townsend's first campaign - and have not bettered that in the seven editions since, also coming third in 2023.
"It's something we definitely have addressed and looked at," Townsend said when asked about Scotland's propensity to fall away at the end of matches.
"A lot of it is on me as a coach. I think the use of the bench and how we bring on players potentially together rather than ones or twos, a real focus on what we do in that final quarter.
"I'd never seen the team do something like they did [against Argentina] and we just didn't have a response.
"Every time I've seen this team go behind, we have had a response. So that was disappointing. We learned a lot that day, things that will be really valuable when we go into the Six Nations."
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Consistency & 'unrealistic' expectations
Townsend has named a surprising team for Scotland's Six Nations opener in Italy, leaving out Duhan van der Merwe, Darcy Graham and Blair Kinghorn, while including a strong contingent from in-form Glasgow Warriors.
Despite Glasgow's storming season in both the Champions Cup and URC, Scottish expectations are still relatively low heading into the Six Nations, largely because of the underwhelming autumn series.
"We want to set out to play a consistent level of rugby close to our best," Townsend said when asked what success would look like in this year's tournament.
"I know if we say we're going to play our best rugby for five games, that's unrealistic, but a consistent level that puts us in positions to win.
"We believe in our squad. We believe in what they can achieve and what they've done at times for over 80 minutes.
"We know what we've got and we know we've got this run of games that we've got to attack with real confidence, but we also know all the other teams are saying the same things and they are planning to get three, four or five wins.
"But that's a great thing about the Six Nations, it's very competitive right now."
'Tough' Italy test & 'privilege' of leading Scotland
Scotland have lost only one of their past 15 matches against Italy, but that came on their last visit to the Stadio Olimpico in 2024.
That was another Scottish second-half collapse as the hosts came from behind to win 31-29.
Townsend is not underestimating the Italians as the Scots aim to start well before facing England at Murrayfield and Wales in Cardiff.
"It's a tough one to play away from home against a team that's been more than competitive," Townsend said.
"We've had some real tough battles with them. They beat us in Rome two years ago. They're getting sell-outs in that stadium now. It's a really noisy atmosphere.
"They have a cohesive team and players who have played together for a number of years, real talented individuals. We know it's a very tough game.
Before he brings up his century, Townsend says he never expected to be in the job this long, while insisting his hunger for the role remains.
He also played down a report suggesting he has agreed to take over at Newcastle Red Bulls after the 2027 World Cup.
The 52-year-old added: "I remember when I first got into coaching and especially when I became a head coach at Glasgow, I thought: 'I'm loving this. I'm going to give it everything and if it doesn't work out, it's not meant to be'.
"I've tried to have that mindset all the time. It is something I love doing, but I just feel so privileged and lucky to have had the opportunity after the playing career.
"To get nine seasons and to be coming into 100 [matches in charge], it's above what I would have expected or dreamed of."
Category: General Sports
