'Back in the club': Scotland revel in return to rugby's top table and why it matters

The national side ended the first phase of the Nations Championship with a 33-17 win over Fiji in front of over 55,000 supporters at a sun-bathed Murrayfield on Saturday.

The result leaves them second in the six-team Northern Hemisphere table, one point behind leaders France and one ahead of England and Ireland, with three home games to come in the autumn followed by the finals weekend at Twickenham.

It’s the first season of the new biennial competition which pitches north against south in a revamping of the summer and autumn Test windows. While not perfect - Fiji were denied the opportunities to play their matches at home - the tournament at least offers a more equitable split of fixtures.

Scotland had been shut out

Scotland, for example, have been shut out of tours to the Southern Hemisphere’s big three in recent years. But the Nations Championship ensures all the Six Nations sides get a game against each of the top teams from the south. Scotland’s match with the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld last week was their first Test in South Africa for 12 years. They also played Argentina away and will welcome New Zealand, Australia and Japan to Edinburgh in November.

“The more opportunities we have playing the top four, top five in the world, can only be of benefit,” said Townsend. “Obviously, if you win, that's great. But even in our loss last week [to South Africa], I think we've learned some things that we know we can bring into our game and improve further.”

Scotland spent last summer touring the Americas and while Townsend was able to blood young players in the games against the US, Canada, Chile and Uruguay, the coach knows there is no substitute for exposing his players to the best in the world.

“I'd always try to put a positive slant on it,” said Townsend. “I think when we went to Canada and America, it was great to increase our depth with 10 new caps. And it was a season I felt, ‘Ok, it’s good we're not taking our top team away because the guys need a rest’. But then when you go out there [to Argentina and South Africa] we've had players that played for the Lions 12 months ago and they're playing in Loftus last week.

Learning from the best

“Sione [Tuipulotu, the Scotland captain] has had more than 30 games this season. There'll be others. That's great that they were on tour. He's able to lead the team in Loftus and learn playing against a world champion. So, we've missed it. We definitely have missed it.

“But now it's going to be a fixture, isn't it? Every two years, the Scotland team will get to be in this championship.”

Scotland opened their Nations Championship campaign with a highly impressive bonus-point win over Argentina in Cordoba and they also picked up a four-try bonus point in the defeat by South Africa before enjoying another maximum five-point victory over Fiji.

The results and performances more than justify Scotland’s return to elite summer touring and Townsend has enjoyed being back and the extra competitive edge the Nations Championship has brought.

“We've been outside of that club for a few years so just to be in Argentina and South Africa, you feel you're part of something bigger than just a friendly,” he said. “There's something to strive towards when we come back in November.”