Gregor Townsend makes case for Scotland progress but Six Nations table tells different story

He was speaking after the completion of another mixed Six Nations campaign in which his side won two and lost three to finish in fourth place for the fifth time in six years.

Townsend was encouraged by what he saw in the Stade de France on Saturday night as Scotland went “toe to toe” with the title-chasing hosts before going down 35-16.

The result saw France crowned champions and the stadium was in ferment as injured skipper Antoine Dupont dispensed with his crutches to lift the Six Nations trophy a week after rupturing his knee ligaments in the win over Ireland in Dublin.

It would be unfair to say Scotland's own campaign limped to a finish but there was a definite 'what might have been' feel to it. Wins over Italy and Wales were interspersed with defeats by Ireland and England and the two losses gnawed away at Townsend in different ways.

“The big disappointment was the Ireland game,” he said as he reflected on the campaign in the bowels of the stadium in Saint-Denis. “We set high standards for ourselves and even though we picked up those two injuries early in the game [to Finn Russell and Darcy Graham], we still were really disappointed with that performance.

“We fought our way back into it but to not come through that game with pushing Ireland closer, that was disappointing. The other performances I thought were very good and even the two away defeats, I thought the way the players played at Twickenham and Paris…these are some of the best performances I believe a Scotland team has put in in those two venues. We're frustrated we didn't win at Twickenham and we're disappointed we didn't win in Paris, but we had more chances to win at Twickenham than on Saturday night.

“I just felt the way the players fronted up physically [against France].... Young Scottish players, some of them haven't played that many games for Scotland, it shows that they're really encouraging for the future around the second row.”

The 16-15 reverse against England at Twickenham was a squandered opportunity as the Scots outplayed their hosts and also outscored them by three tries to one. They failed to make the most of their advantages in territory and possession and, fatally, Russell missed all three conversion attempts, including one in the final minutes to win the game.

The win over Wales restored some lustre, even if Scotland did see their lead cut from 35-8 to 35-29 in the final quarter, and Townsend was heartened by the performance in Paris.

“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 on Saturday night we went toe to toe with them. We really did.

“Whether that's up front or whether it's the speed our backs played at, our set piece, it was encouraging. What's frustrating is we didn't finish high up the table.”

The game in Paris saw Townsend give Brown his first Six Nations start and the Glasgow Warriors forward didn’t disappoint, standing up to the huge physical challenge posed by the French pack. There were also championship debuts off the bench for Marshall Sykes, Ben Muncaster and Ewan Johnson. Jordan enjoyed another noteworthy outing at inside centre and was very unlucky to have a try disallowed at the end of the first half after Blair Kinghorn’s elbow had strayed into touch in the build-up.

“I'm encouraged by the players that are coming through,” said Townsend. “We have some players missing who are going to add to our group, then I look at some of the players who have come into our squad this year. Tom Jordan, he's played so many minutes. He came into the squad as a 10/15, and is now playing outstandingly well at centre.

“You've got Gregor Brown who played so well on Saturday night. The players are coming through to keep driving us forward. So that is encouraging for the future.”

The future may look bright but it is the present that must be more of a concern for Townsend. Another fourth place finish seems a poor return for such a talented squad and the words last year of Scottish Rugby chairman John McGuigan must still be ringing in the coach’s ear.

McGuigan had not long been at the helm when he sat down with journalists and offered his qualified backing to Townsend but warned that the 2024 Six Nations performance was not good enough. That one also saw the Scots finish fourth after two wins and three defeats but it was a campaign scarred by a first defeat to Italy in nine years.

Nevertheless, McGuigan didn’t hold back with his assessment last April.

“Talking as a fan: not good enough,” McGuigan said at the time. “We should have done a lot better. No-one is happy with fourth place in the Six Nations. We certainly went into it thinking we could win it or be second. So to come out of it fourth is a disappointment all round.”

The chairman added: “We’ve kicked around third and fourth place in the Six Nations and from that point of view we need to elevate our position from there. We still have confidence in Gregor that he can do it, that he’s got the right coaching staff, he’s got the right team in place and we need to go with it just now. That’s what we believe to be the right thing to do.”

Alex Williamson and David Nucifora have since joined Scottish Rugby’s leadership group, the former as chief executive and the latter in a performance director advisory role, and it is their views along with McGuigan’s that are likely to carry most weight.

Townsend is contracted until April 2026 and he is keen to stay in post but knows that continuing to finish fourth on a regular basis undermines claims of progress.