Gregor Townsend Unfazed Despite Scotland's Disappointing Start to Six Nations
Scotland's head coach, Gregor Townsend, has refused to rule out his involvement with the team despite a woeful start to their Six Nations campaign. The 18-15 defeat by Italy at Stadio Olimpico in Rome saw Scotland trail from the outset and struggle for large periods of the match.
Italy, who were looking to bounce back from last season's relegation, dominated the game, while Scotland struggled to cope with torrential rain that made the pitch conditions almost unplayable.
Townsend admitted that his side had given away too many possessions and failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities, but he maintained his faith in his team's abilities. "The effort was there," he said when asked if pressure will ramp up before the Calcutta Cup. "A lot of what we trained was in place. We just gave away too many possessions."
For former Grand Slam-winning Irish fly-half Ronan O'Gara, Scotland had shown glimpses of what they stood for in the last two minutes of the game, but ultimately fell short.
"If they had played like that for 80 minutes, it wouldn't have been a contest," O'Gara said. "They'll feel very despondent."
With another tough test looming next Saturday against England at Murrayfield, Scotland will need to rediscover their form if they want to avoid relegation from the Six Nations.
"We shouldn't have let them get ahead," Townsend added. "They got a couple of breakaway tries. We had opportunities we didn't take and then it made it tough after that."
Townsend's stance on his future as Scotland head coach remains intact, despite being under pressure following autumn losses against Argentina and New Zealand.
"Of course there will be criticism for the result and the performance," Townsend said when asked if he expected to be in charge for the visit of England. "But I'm with my team."
Scotland's head coach, Gregor Townsend, has refused to rule out his involvement with the team despite a woeful start to their Six Nations campaign. The 18-15 defeat by Italy at Stadio Olimpico in Rome saw Scotland trail from the outset and struggle for large periods of the match.
Italy, who were looking to bounce back from last season's relegation, dominated the game, while Scotland struggled to cope with torrential rain that made the pitch conditions almost unplayable.
Townsend admitted that his side had given away too many possessions and failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities, but he maintained his faith in his team's abilities. "The effort was there," he said when asked if pressure will ramp up before the Calcutta Cup. "A lot of what we trained was in place. We just gave away too many possessions."
For former Grand Slam-winning Irish fly-half Ronan O'Gara, Scotland had shown glimpses of what they stood for in the last two minutes of the game, but ultimately fell short.
"If they had played like that for 80 minutes, it wouldn't have been a contest," O'Gara said. "They'll feel very despondent."
With another tough test looming next Saturday against England at Murrayfield, Scotland will need to rediscover their form if they want to avoid relegation from the Six Nations.
"We shouldn't have let them get ahead," Townsend added. "They got a couple of breakaway tries. We had opportunities we didn't take and then it made it tough after that."
Townsend's stance on his future as Scotland head coach remains intact, despite being under pressure following autumn losses against Argentina and New Zealand.
"Of course there will be criticism for the result and the performance," Townsend said when asked if he expected to be in charge for the visit of England. "But I'm with my team."
Scotland's squad needs a wake-up call, they can't just keep making the same mistakes over and over again 
. They need to find that magic spark that brought them wins last season before it's too late 
. The rain was treacherous, no excuse for them not being prepared 
. Another loss to England and they'll be in a world of trouble 
. Can't say I trust Townsend on his job security, seems like he's getting a bit too comfortable with the criticism 
Only issue is, can't take a rain check on that winning form 
And now they've gotta face England? That's like throwing a punch before going the distance 
and that's cool, we've all been in situations where we wanna pull our hair out but we just gotta regroup and try again 
. the thing is, if townsend was gonna throw in the towel, it would've been a big deal right now...but he's sticking by his team, which i think shows he cares about their development 
. plus, scotland still got some good moments in that game, especially in those last two minutes 
.
, plain & simple! 
torrential rain didn't help but it's not an excuse. 
Townsend's keeping his team on the pitch & still saying he trusts dem... i kinda get it, u gotta believe in ur players no matter wut 
but they need 2 step up their game & fast or dey'll b outta six nations 
That's gotta hurt. I think he's being a bit too nice about the whole thing - those pitch conditions were insane! 
But at the same time, it's Scotland's fault for not adapting and getting back in the game 
18-15 to Italy? That's just brutal. And Townsend's all like "we'll figure it out" but I don't know man... the team looked pretty broken out there. Like they were trying to run through a mud pit instead of playing some rugby 
. I'm not saying Townsend should be fired or anything (he can't be that bad, right? 
), but he's gotta do some serious soul-searching and figure out what went wrong. Can Scotland recover from this mess? 
They can't even handle a little rain, that's it? 18-15 at home and they still manage to get thrashed by Italy. And now they're gonna be under pressure again against England... like, how many times do you gotta lose before you gotta change the coach? 
. 18-15 to Italy? 
That's not even close 
. Townsend's right that they had some good moments in the last two minutes, but can't just rely on scraps 
. They need to be more ruthless and clinical in their attack 
. And those rain conditions were a real challenge 
! They gotta step up their game ASAP or they'll be heading back down to Division B 
Gregor Townsend's keeping it calm but his future as Scotland head coach is probs being scrutinized too closely 
. Either way, the pressure's on and England's gonna be looking to take advantage 
Is it just about the win-loss record, or is there something more to it?
. If they want to rebuild and regain their competitiveness, they need to focus on developing young players from a younger age. It's not just about the coaches or the team, it's about creating a system that can produce talented athletes over time.
. He's taking the heat for the losses and instead of pointing fingers, he's focusing on what they can improve. That kind of leadership is crucial in times like these. Scotland fans should be hopeful about their chances next week against England - if they can get it together, they might just pull off a surprise 
. The fact that Italy dominated the game is crazy, but let's be real, Scotland still had some great moments in there 
๏ธ cant wait 2 see if scottish can bounce back!