'Not going to answer that' - Gregor Townsend coy on his future but expects talks

The Scots bounced back from their defeat by Fiji six days ago to score seven tries in a much improved performance. It means they end the tour with two wins and a loss, having beaten the Maori All Blacks in their opener in Whangarei.

The squad were joined in New Zealand by Alex Williamson and the Scottish Rugby chief executive had said last month that he intended to speak to Townsend about his contractual situation.

The head coach’s current deal runs out next April and Williamson has indicated he would be keen for him to extend his tenure. Townsend was giving little away after the win at Eden Park but expects to sit down for talks with Williamson when he returns home.

‘I'd imagine they'll start to happen’

“I'd imagine they'll start to happen but the focus has been on this week, the short turnaround, the Test matches we've had,” said Townsend. “Alex has been with us for the last three games now so he's seen how our environment works, what a Test week looks like and the players we have and the culture we have. After the summer, we'll look into that again.”

Townsend has been in charge for eight years and is the longest serving coach in the national side’s history. Asked if he wanted to remain in post beyond the end of the 2026 Six Nations, he was evasive.

“I’m not going to answer that just now,” he said. “Let's just focus on tonight's game. I'll reflect on not just this tour but this season and [have] the chance to do that in the next few weeks.”

Townsend will now spend some time with the Collingwood Aussie Rules club before returning home. He felt there were positives to take from the tour despite the defeat by Fiji in what had been identified as the key game of the three-match trip.

Scotland were without ten of their best players due to Lions call-ups and the games in New Zealand and Fiji allowed others to take their chance, and there were notable performances from the likes of Jamie Dobie, Fergus Burke, Rory Hutchinson, Gregor Brown, Kyle Rowe and Arron Reed.

“There are a lot of ways that you can evaluate a tour,” said Townsend. “One is a longer-term one. Players get this opportunity to go up against three quality sides. We saw this tour as three Test matches, physical Test matches away from home.

Fiji disappointment

“We've had more players that have got that opportunity with the Lions tour being on at the same time. You're not going to play your best every time. You're not going to win every game. We know that. It's part of sport. We were disappointed that we didn't kick on in the second half against Fiji after getting back into the game. We didn't play as well as we could have. We made it tough on ourselves with the discipline.

“The games either side have been excellent. The way the team reacted with a six-day turnaround this week, just one training session, the demands of travel, it shows what a quality group they are. Also the pride they take in their performance and how they rise to that challenge of coming off the back of a defeat and taking the learnings and delivering a performance the following week.

“The other aspect is the success of the tour off the field. The players have got closer together. You're together for four weeks, you're enjoying the culture, whether it was a Maori welcome or going to a local rugby club in New Zealand to the week we had in Fiji, which was amazing. We've embraced the culture and it's going to make us better individuals. But also as a team, we've formed closer bonds.”

The squad will spend the next two days in New Zealand before flying home and intend to watch the first Test between Australia and the Lions, with Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones all starting for the tourists.

Rory Sutherland and Ewan Ashman will further swell the Scottish contingent when they join up with the Lions this weekend. The front-row pair played the first half against Samoa and will travel to Melbourne on Sunday.

Ashman got the ball rolling for Scotland at Eden Park, scoring the first try against Samoa. They scored three more before half-time through Hutchinson, Reed and Kyle Steyn and there were further tries in the second half from Grant Gilchrist, Rowe and George Turner. But Samoa made a fight of it after the break with scores from Ben Nee-Nee and Duncan Paia’aua.

Failed HIA and a broken hand

“I'm pleased with the performance and the result, how we started the game and also how we finished the game,” said Townsend. “It was a tricky period in that third quarter, but overall I thought we executed really well from the forwards. We stood up and delivered one of the best performances in the set-piece with the forward carrying.

“They were a tough opponent, they were physical and they attacked really well. It was up there with the Maori performance in terms of what we were hoping to play and what we delivered.”

George Horne kicked two conversions and Burke landed one but the latter had to go off for a head injury assessment midway through the second half.

“Fergus Burke failed his HIA – that's why he didn’t come back on – but he’s fine in the changing room,” added Townsend. “We decided to take Rory and Ewan off at half-time - they're fine. I thought they played really well. That's a real testament to what playing for Scotland means to them. They knew that we were going to be involved with the Lions in a couple of days' time, but they fronted up and they were excellent in the first half.”

Steyn had to go off at half-time and Townsend thinks he may have fractured a bone in his hand.

“He had a hand injury, which we fear might be a broken bone. He just lost his power in that hand but we don't know the extent of it yet.”