Depending on how things pan out over the next couple of months, there’s a chance that this year’s Six Nations championship could well be a last hurrah for Gregor Townsend as Scotland head coach.
The 51-year-old former Glasgow Warriors boss remains under contract for another year, with his current deal set to expire in April 2026.
Whether he sees his contract out or not will depend on Scotland’s results in this year’s championship, especially given they have the benefit of three home games.
If they were to repeat last year’s poor showing of just two wins, it would be impossible to make the case for him being allowed to remain in position.
When he names his squad on Wednesday afternoon, Townsend will be under no illusions that a major improvement is required.
It all starts when Italy visit Murrayfield on Saturday, February 1. That will be a revenge mission for Townsend and his players after they suffered a humiliating defeat in Rome last year.
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend should be in confident mood ahead of the Six Nations
Sione Tuipulotu has been in scintillating form of late and should retain the captaincy
Scotland will, however, rely hugely on prop Zander Fagerson to keep the scrum competitive
Scotland will then host Ireland at Murrayfield the following week, with the visitors looking to become the first team in history to win three successive Six Nations titles.
Ireland will be without Andy Farrell due to his commitments with the British and Irish Lions, with Simon Easterby set to take charge.
Nobody expects Ireland suddenly to fall to pieces in Farrell’s absence, but to be without the head coach who has served them so well over recent years surely opens up an opportunity.
Scotland will visit Twickenham in round three, looking to continue their dominance of the Calcutta Cup that has been built over recent years under Townsend.
They will then face Wales in the penultimate round of fixtures, before finishing their championship against France in Paris on March 15.
Townsend’s future will be a lot clearer by then. If Scotland can follow their victory over the Wallabies at the end of the autumn with a positive championship, he could yet see out his contract.
But anything less than three wins as a bare minimum would only strengthen the feeling that he has taken the team as far as he can.
There has been a decent level of continuity throughout the squad over the past couple of years. If everyone is fit, the team largely picks itself.
Crucially, Scotland have several key players in good form heading into the championship.
Sione Tuipulotu has legitimate claims as being the best centre in world rugby right now. Given his form, he should continue as captain after leading the team in the autumn.
Finn Russell is in the prime of his career and playing some exceptional rugby for a Bath side who currently sit top of the English Premiership.
With Duhan van der Merwe and the fit-again Darcy Graham continuing to set new try-scoring records, Scotland won’t lack firepower.
With Huw Jones also in excellent form and Blair Kinghorn continuing to excel for Toulouse, Townsend’s first-choice backline is as good as any in world rugby.
The real test for Scotland will come in what they do up front. Can they match the likes of France and Ireland physically? Do they have the depth to win silverware in a brutal, gruelling championship?
It had been hoped that Jonny Gray would return to the squad after missing the autumn series as he worked his way back towards full fitness.
But Gray has since picked up another injury for Bordeaux in a Champions Cup clash with Ulster last month and could be out until mid-February according to reports in France.
Zander Fagerson remains one of Scotland’s most vitally important players. Not only in terms of his form, but also due to the fact there’s simply no viable cover or back-up behind him.
Adam Hastings will miss out as he recovers from facial surgery, with Tom Jordan providing the main cover for Russell at fly-half.
Townsend is a big fan of Jordan and has spoken in glowing terms about the versatility he provides in that he can cover three different positions.
The third fly-half in the squad could well be Fergus Burke, the Kiwi-born 10 who has excelled since joining Saracens.
Burke also qualifies to represent England, but he wasn’t included in Steve Borthwick’s squad when it was named yesterday.
That looks to have cleared the way for a Scotland call-up and, should that happen, it would knock Ben Healy even further down the pecking order.
Healy has fallen off a cliff over the past year or so. He was recruited from Munster to much fanfare.
Scotland felt like they had really secured a coup in prising him away from the Irish system. Healy played in the World Cup as back-up to Russell.
But he has totally lost his way since then. To be demoted so far down the pecking order certainly wouldn’t have been in his thoughts when he made the move to Scotland. Penny for his thoughts now.
With Russell and Tuipulotu at the top of their game, Scotland could do some real damage in this year’s championship.
Kicking off with two home games, they have a chance to really start the tournament with a bang.
But, with just a year left to run on his contract, Townsend will know that he needs results. The promise of jam tomorrow with this Scotland team can’t last forever.
Key players are now in the prime of their careers. Several of them could be Test Lions in just a few months.
Armed with such talent, this has to be the year when Scotland finally make a genuine challenge for silverware.
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The post Will Scotland’s world-class backs be enough to see them finally challenge for the Six Nations title… and silence any doubts over Gregor Townsend’s future? first appeared on Rugby 247.
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-01-14 16:10:38
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