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Scotland are on a roll, after a brace of Guinness Men’s Six Nations wins. The first was a glorious defeat of England to reclaim the Calcutta Cup, and take hold of the Raeburn Shield, the trophy for linear world champions.
They win over Wales more fortuitous, most notably after Matt Fagerson avoided a penalty for his entry into the maul that catapulted George Horne over for the winning try. Of course, that’s not to say they wouldn’t have come again in the last few minutes.
Those wins have turned around a Championship record that began in inglorious fashion, after defeat to Italy at a rain-socked Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Since then, the tide has turned for head coach Gregor Townsend, who many would have been happy to leave behind in the Colosseum’s deepest dungeon after losing to the Azzurri, but who would now be feted if he walked down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
In reality, the truth lies somewhere in between. He was and is still a good coach, but there are still questions to answer, and two very strong teams coming up in France and Ireland.
Here’s ATRS’s take on their Six Nations so far…
Which Win?
On a recent Scotland rugby podcast the two talking heads were asked if they could chose between beating France at Murrayfield or beating Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, which would they opt for?
Both went for a win in Dublin, a result that would be Scotland’s first over their fellow Scots since 2017 and would lift a psychological weight as it would be the first of Townsend’s tenure as coach. Of course, that would mean a loss to France and all the hand-wringing that would follow.
You really hope that such thoughts aren’t prevalent in the Scotland squad. The obvious answer would be to beat France. Yes, Townsend has tasted victory over Les Bleus, but not since 2021 and as it is the next match that is the one to win. Victory would mean they have beaten the hitherto presumed Gland Slam champions and are in contention for the title on the final day.
Do that, and then they can plan for their meeting with Ireland.
November v February
The ghosts of November are still lurking in the back of Townsend’s cupboard. There was the fightback and late capitulation to New Zealand, and the 21-point lead and then capitulation to Argentina.
It led to a murky winter north of Hadrian’s Wall, that was only soothed with the wins over England and Wales and the dawn of spring.
For now, Scotland are still in deficit with three defeats and two victories over Tier One nations. The smile is back, but it won’t take long to remove it again. Two defeats in their final two matches would markedly change their outlook on this tournament. Minds and bodies cannot wander.
Still Questions
Townsend might have bought himself some breathing space by beating England and Wales, but there are still relevant questions over his involvement with Red Bull Sports. What does his 30-day annual involvement involve? Where does his role as a consultant fit into the current coaching set up?
The waters are muddied further by Alan Dickens, the man who has steadied the ship after he took over from Steve Diamond announced that he would be off at the end of the season. His successor hasn’t been announced, but with Townsend’s time as Scotland coach due to end when Scotland exit the 2027 World Cup it will be indicative if another caretaker is brought in.
Townsend was asked about his role by an English journalist before their match against Italy, but he responded with subterfuge and claimed there was an English plot to derail Scotland’s Calcutta Cup hopes over a week before it took place. It was a cheap piece of theatre, and bought him some time, but sooner rather than later he will be forced to explain exactly how this, no doubt very lucrative agreement works.
Natural Finish
Among the variety of permutations and expectations, there is no doubt that Scotland deserve praise for their consistency under Townsend, even though there are many who feel a squad this good should expect more.
In terms of resources both playing and financial, Scotland are undoubtedly punching above their weight, especially in their ability to regularly defeat the more resourced English.
Along with Italy, Scotland have two professional teams at the elite club level, compared to 14 from France, 10 from England, and four from Ireland and Wales. Their place in the Scottish sporting firmament is firmly behind football, and their income is less than half that of the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
Scotland fans dream of consistency, but as Townsend’s team showed against Wales that doesn’t always meaning all singing, all dancing displays. But why should a team that is ranked fifth or at best fourth on a combination of matrices, be expected to perform any better? The fact they are second in the table, and developed a squad with depth and variety deserves nothing less than fulsome praise.