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Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
The key takeaway from this tour will be that Scotland lost the one match that really mattered, the one match that had real jeopardy and meaning attached to it, writes Calum Crowe
When the dust settles on Scotland's summer tour of the Pacific, the bare facts will show that they won two of their three matches. Although Gregor Townsend will argue that two out of three ain't bad, the reality is that this tour has been harmful to Scotland and their prospects for the next World Cup. This seven-try rout of Samoa ensured the Scots bounced back from the defeat to Fiji last weekend and finished on a high. But it proved nothing. The damage had already been done. The loss to the Fijians was a hammer blow to Scotland's world ranking and their hopes of securing a top seeding for the World Cup draw later this year. Realistically, they were never going to lose to the Maori All Blacks or to Samoa. The Māoris ran them close, whilst Samoa were swatted aside with ease. Ultimately, the key takeaway from this tour will be that Scotland lost the one match that really mattered, the one match that had real jeopardy and meaning attached to it. So for all that Townsend will talk about squad depth and the experience as a whole, the reality is that this tour is another black mark against his stewardship as head coach. Before the tour started, Scottish Rugby chief executive Alex Williamson boldly expressed a desire to extend Townsend's contract, which is set to expire in April next year. Plainly, there has been precious little evidence over these past three weeks that Townsend would be deserving of an extension. Indeed, quite the contrary. Having presided over a defeat in the one match that really mattered, this tour only strengthens the feeling that his time should really be up. If the Williamson and the SRU continue this bizarre clamour to hand him a new deal, they are rewarding mediocrity. In a stadium which is the most revered fortress in world rugby, Scotland cruised to victory at Eden Park against a Samoa side who looked second-rate in every department. Jamie Dobie and Fergus Burke were the two standouts, the half-back pairing combining to good effect as Scotland's attack clicked into gear in Auckland. But context was needed in the sense that this was a Samoa team featuring several debutants and who hadn't played a whole lot of rugby together. Scotland scored four tries in the first half through Ewan Ashman, Rory Hutchinson, Arron Reed and Kyle Steyn, before Grant Gilchrist, Kyle Rowe and George Turner added three more after the break. Ashman and Rory Sutherland only played 40 minutes. Taken off at half-time, they will now head over to Australia to join the British and Irish Lions. Part of the Scots trio who were belatedly called up this week, Darcy Graham had already travelled to join the Lions and so did not play in this clash with the Samoans. This was Scotland's first match at Eden Park since a 16-12 defeat to England in the 2011 World Cup, a result which effectively eliminated the Scots from the tournament. There was close to 60,000 fans inside the iconic venue for that clash between the Auld Enemies. The crowd this time was far more modest, with huge swathes of empty seats. When the teams lined up for the anthems prior to kick-off, the music to Flower of Scotland ended up woefully out of sync. Some players had almost finished signing the anthem, yet the music was only midway through the second verse. A few of them saw the funny side, whilst others looked bemused and angry that the anthem had been so badly botched. Their job, of course, was to ensure that pre-match mishap would not set the tone for what followed against a Samoa side ranked 13th in the world. But Townsend's side were quick to assert their dominance and scored two tries inside the opening quarter of an hour. Ashman got the first after the hooker profited from a powerful lineout maul, peeling off the back after it had rumbled its way towards the Samoa line. Stafford McDowall was the architect for the second, cleverly drawing the Samoan defence on to him before dropping a rubber-kick in behind. His midfield partner Hutchinson was on to it in a flash and raced away to score under the posts, with Burke's conversion making it 12-0. Scotland were looking good any time they got the ball wide, with winger Reed scoring their third try on 32 minutes after taking a lovely, looping pass from Dobie. Dobie was having a fine game at scrum-half and was instrumental in the move which saw Steyn touch down for Scotland's fourth try shortly before half-time. Making his return to New Zealand, Burke was also showing up well at fly-half as the Scots dominated and led 22-0 at half-time. Steyn was nursing a slight hand injury and was taken off at half-time, with Dobie shifting to the wing and George Horne coming on at scrum-half. Gilchrist powered over from close range to extend Scotland's lead, with full-back Rowe also getting in on the rout with a try of his own. Scotland took their foot off the gas midway through the second half, with Samoa scoring twice through Benjamin Petaia Nee-Nee and Duncan Paia'aua. On as a replacement for Ashman at half-time, Turner added another try in the final moment to add a little more gloss to the scoreline. But whilst Scotland's players congratulated each other on the win at full-time, the full extent of the damage from this tour will only be known by the end of the year when the World Cup draw is made. In terms of Townsend's future as head coach, it has been a tour which has raised more questions than answers.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
'I'm not going to answer that just now...' Gregor Townsend refuses to be drawn on future after Scotland tour finishes with victory over Samoa
Gregor Townsned refused to be drawn on his future as Scotland head coach after rounding off the summer tour with victory over Samoa in Auckland. The Scots scored seven tries at Eden Park to finish the tour on a high after the bitter blow of losing against Fiji in Suva last weekend. That defeat against the Fijians is likely to be costly after Scotland blew the chance to win vital ranking points heading into the World Cup draw later this year. Townsend's future remains unclear, with his current contract due to expire after the Six Nations next year. A few weeks ago, Scottish Rugby chief executive Alex Williamson expressed a desire to extend Townsend's deal and planned to hold talks whilst away with the team on tour. But Townsend refused to give much away, saying: 'I would imagine they [talks] will start to happen but the focus has been on this week, the short turnaround, the Test matches we've had. '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, the players we have and the culture we have. After the summer, we'll look into that again.' Pressed on whether he wants to stay beyond next year and lead Scotland into the next World Cup, Townsend replied: 'I'm not going to answer that just now. 'Let's just focus on tonight's game. I'll reflect on not just this tour, but this season as a whole because it has obviously been a busy few weeks for us.' In the end, Townsend's side claimed two victories from their three matches, with the defeat to Fiji being sandwiched by wins over Samoa and the Maori All Blacks. He was adamant that positives should be taken in terms of growth and experience, despite the costly defeat against the Fijians. 'There's a lot of ways that you can evaluate a tour,' he continued. '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. 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 cultures that are here. 'We've made a point of getting out there. 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, to this week, which has been a shorter week.
The National
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The National
'Not something I've thought much about' – Townsend on Scotland future
The 52-year-old has been in charge since the summer of 2017 but his current deal expires after next year's Six Nations. Recently-appointed Scottish Rugby chief executive Alex Williamson indicated last month that he would be keen to retain Townsend. Gregor Townsend is not focused on his Scotland future (Jane Barlow/PA) Asked if there had been any developments regarding his future, Townsend, speaking on Thursday from the Scots' summer tour base in New Zealand, said: 'Well, it's not really been discussed, it's not something that tends to get discussed when we're in campaigns. 'We don't have the time, really, and the focus is on making sure we prepare the team as well as we can this week and over the next two weeks. 'Honestly, it's not something I've thought that much about. A lot goes into preparation for a tour and then on tour, and there'll be plenty of time to discuss whether Scottish Rugby feel that they want me to continue and also what I want to do at the end of my contract. But it won't be something that will be decided over the next few weeks.' Asked if he was keen to remain in charge for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, Townsend said: 'As I said, it's not something I've spent a lot of time thinking about. This job gives me a huge purpose in my life, but it also demands a lot of energy. And just now all my energy is going into helping the other coaches and the team.'
The Herald Scotland
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
'Not something I've thought much about' – Townsend on Scotland future
Recently-appointed Scottish Rugby chief executive Alex Williamson indicated last month that he would be keen to retain Townsend. Gregor Townsend is not focused on his Scotland future (Jane Barlow/PA) Asked if there had been any developments regarding his future, Townsend, speaking on Thursday from the Scots' summer tour base in New Zealand, said: 'Well, it's not really been discussed, it's not something that tends to get discussed when we're in campaigns. 'We don't have the time, really, and the focus is on making sure we prepare the team as well as we can this week and over the next two weeks. 'Honestly, it's not something I've thought that much about. A lot goes into preparation for a tour and then on tour, and there'll be plenty of time to discuss whether Scottish Rugby feel that they want me to continue and also what I want to do at the end of my contract. But it won't be something that will be decided over the next few weeks.' Asked if he was keen to remain in charge for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, Townsend said: 'As I said, it's not something I've spent a lot of time thinking about. This job gives me a huge purpose in my life, but it also demands a lot of energy. And just now all my energy is going into helping the other coaches and the team.'
Leader Live
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
It's not something I've thought much about – Gregor Townsend on Scotland future
The 52-year-old has been in charge since the summer of 2017 but his current deal expires after next year's Six Nations. Recently-appointed Scottish Rugby chief executive Alex Williamson indicated last month that he would be keen to retain Townsend. Asked if there had been any developments regarding his future, Townsend, speaking on Thursday from the Scots' summer tour base in New Zealand, said: 'Well, it's not really been discussed, it's not something that tends to get discussed when we're in campaigns. 'We don't have the time, really, and the focus is on making sure we prepare the team as well as we can this week and over the next two weeks. 'Honestly, it's not something I've thought that much about. A lot goes into preparation for a tour and then on tour, and there'll be plenty of time to discuss whether Scottish Rugby feel that they want me to continue and also what I want to do at the end of my contract. But it won't be something that will be decided over the next few weeks.' Asked if he was keen to remain in charge for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, Townsend said: 'As I said, it's not something I've spent a lot of time thinking about. This job gives me a huge purpose in my life, but it also demands a lot of energy. And just now all my energy is going into helping the other coaches and the team.'
