Scottish Rugby deliver major update on Gregor Townsend future as Six Nations and Red Bull addressed

Townsend's position has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of a damaging defeat by Argentina earlier this month when Scotland blew a 21-point lead to lose 33-24. Some supporters booed the team afterwards, which is largely unprecedented at Murrayfield.

Scotland won two of their four November Test matches - landslide wins over USA (85-0) and Tonga (56-0) - but the Argentina loss came on the back of a 25-17 reversal against New Zealand despite the All Blacks playing half-an-hour with a man down.

Townsend's Scotland contract was extended in September until the end of the 2027 World Cup - by which point he will have spent a decade in charge. However, some critics believe a different coach should be given a chance to work with a group of players widely perceived as a golden generation for Scottish rugby amid a stagnation in results. Scotland ended 2025 without beating a top-ranked nation.

But speaking after Scottish Rugby's annual general meeting, Williamson said Townsend retains full support from the union and did not put a baseline expectation level on results in next year’s Six Nations Championship.

‘We have an outstanding coaching group’

"The optimism going into the autumn says a lot about the development of the team," said Williamson, "and I think it would be folly for me to suggest that we weren't all enormously disappointed not to come out of the games, particularly against New Zealand and Argentina, with at least one win.

"I personally, for what it's worth, was really disappointed with the outcome of the New Zealand game, because I actually thought that we could have won that by 20 points. We had so many opportunities near the goal line.

"And the game against Argentina was, to be 21-0 up against a team that are probably in the top four often, particularly when they have all their players together, and to not get over the line was unbelievably deflating, and there's no doubt about that.

"But I don't subscribe to the idea that that means that we have to sort of throw everything to the wind.

"I think we have an outstanding coaching group. I think we saw some real progress in a number of areas, and I think there was lots to like, but that doesn't diminish the fact that there were also some things that really didn't go well in the heat of the moment.

"I think the player group in particular have put their hands up to the challenges against Argentina, and my understanding is the players had very forthright conversations with each other about what was necessary to get over that line in that moment of intense pressure.

"I think we should continue to be very confident that we've got a structure, a coaching group, and an ideology about how we want to play rugby in Scotland that we should be confident about, and that's where we are.

"I don't foresee change there [in the coaching group]. I think that we also had the benefit of seeing Lee Radford's approach to defence, and I think there was some really exciting stuff there, but also the group are learning a new methodology. So as we go into the Six Nations we'll be better for those four games for sure."

‘No evidence change is required’

Asked how concerned he was by the crowd's reaction to the defeat by Argentina, Williamson replied: "I think that the outpour at the end of the game was a clear demonstration of that emotional disappointment, but I don't think that that is a reason to look to change what we believe to be an outstanding coaching group, including Gregor as the leader of that group, and a really talented group of players."

Williamson refuted suggestions that the most recent defeats had been a tipping point. "I don't think that we would enter into an extension to the contracts for that entire coaching group if we didn't believe that they had the talent, capability and the belief from the players," continued Williamson.

"And I have seen no evidence to suggest that they aren't the talented group that we re-employed from a coaching perspective, and nor have I seen any evidence that the player group isn't 100 per cent supportive of Gregor and his assistant coaches."

Asked directly if Townsend is untouchable, Williamson replied: "No, but what I would say is that we didn't extend his contract because we thought he wasn't the guy we wanted to take through to the World Cup. We extended him because we really believe in him. And of course we want outstanding outcomes.

“We all willed the Scottish team to win those two games. We didn't get the outcomes we wanted, but that didn't change our view that he was a good coach and that's why we're sticking with him."

Six Nations commitment

Williamson would not set out a baseline expectation for Scotland in next year's Six Nations. "We are committed to going into the Six Nations with that group, the player group and the coaches that lead them," he said. "We are not publishing or setting expectations as to where we want to finish in the tournament, but we are anticipating that we are going to be highly competitive and that we are going to go well."

The CEO did concede that performance director David Nucifora would have a crucial role in appraising Scotland's work under Townsend. "The assessment will be David's in terms of where we get to through each of our blocks of games," Williamson added. "But as David has said in the past, it is not specifically down to whether we win or lose games, it's about whether we're making progress."

Williamson is also unperturbed by Townsend's 30-day arrangement with Red Bull as a consultant. "We talked about it at both boards. And I recognise that it's created some consternation and I'm respectful of that. I think it is a fantastic opportunity for him and I absolutely believe it's a good thing for Scottish rugby because the engagement he will get from that and the inspiration that it will deliver I think will play out well for us.

"It's a limited amount of time and I don't see that it has any impact on his ability to deliver as a head coach, so I just think it's a win-win for us."