Latest news with #GregorTownsend
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Townsend 'sad to see' Tandy leave for Wales
Head coach Gregor Townsend is "sad to see" Scotland defence coach Steve Tandy leave for Wales, but insists it's a role he "deserves".After much speculation, Tandy has been announced as Warren Gatland's successor as Wales head coach. Tandy joined Scotland ahead of the 2020 Six Nations and has played a key role in the developing Scotland's defence into "one of the best in the world"."We're sorry to see Steve go because he's had a really positive influence on Scottish rugby," Townsend said. "Firstly, with the players that he's worked with and developed, and secondly the work he's done with the team, turning them into one of the best defensive sides in the world. As coaches we have loved working and learning from him."He has helped me massively in my role and he's been someone I've leaned on for advice. We've worked together on various ways of improving the environment and the team over the years."It'll be sad not having him with us anymore but it's also a massive honour for him to become the head coach of his home country."It's very deserved as he's an excellent coach with varied experiences including international rugby for the last five years and we wish him all the best."
Scotsman
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
'Not going to answer that' - Gregor Townsend coy on his future but expects talks
Scotland coach to spend time with Aussie Rules team Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Gregor Townsend will spend the summer deliberating his future after Scotland ended their summer tour on a winning note with a 41-12 victory over Samoa in Auckland. 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. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 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. Scotland coach Gregor Townsend during the Test Match between Samoa and Scotland at Eden Park. | Getty Images 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. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad '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. Full-back Kyle Rowe impressed for Scotland in the win over Samoa at Eden Park in Auckland. | Getty Images '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. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 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. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 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. Ewan Ashman scored Scotland's first try against Samoa and will now join up with the Lions in Australia. | Getty Images 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.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 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.
Scotsman
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Samoa v Scotland preview: rugby citadel, a debut at 10 and best wishes to Boan Venter
Eden Park in Auckland is one of rugby's great venues but doesn't hold many happy memories for Scotland. | Getty Images Pacific tour ends at a venue which has few happy memories for Scotland Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Eden Park is one of rugby's most celebrated citadels but is a stadium that holds few good memories for visiting Scotland teams. Gregor Townsend was assistant to Andy Robinson the last time the national side played there, in 2011, in a Rugby World Cup game against England of all teams. A late try by Chris Ashton condemned the Scots to a 16-12 defeat which ended their participation in the tournament. It was the first time they had been eliminated in the pool stage but not, sadly, the last. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Prior to that, Scotland had played and lost to the All Blacks on five occasions at Eden Park, including in 2000 when Townsend played at centre in a 48-14 defeat. Eden Park in Auckland is one of rugby's great venues but doesn't hold many happy memories for Scotland. | Getty Images They return to the Auckland ground on Friday to play not New Zealand but Samoa in the final match of a tour that began brightly with a win over the Māori All Blacks in Whangārei but suffered a big setback last weekend in Suva where Scotland lost 29-14 to Fiji. Auckland a home from home for Samoans Samoa may not be playing in their own country but Auckland is a home from home for them. It is estimated that around 120,000 Samoans live in the city and Townsend expects there to be boisterous support for the island country. 'We were told months ago that the stadium in Apia in Samoa wasn't ready to host Test matches again,' explained Townsend. 'And I don't know whether that was something to do with the stadium itself or the television links. And Eden Park is a great venue for Samoa too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Obviously, the Samoans that live in Samoa will be disappointed they're not getting to see a Test match at home but there's a lot of Samoans that live in Auckland that will turn out on Friday night.' Gregor Townsend playing for Scotland against New Zealand at Eden Park in 2000. | Getty Images This is a game Scotland are expected to win and win well. Samoa are ranked 13th in the world, five places behind Townsend's side who slipped to eighth following the defeat by Fiji. It is also a fixture that is laced with hazards. Townsend is mindful of the way Samoa beat Italy last summer and they will be a determined to make a winning start under their new coach Tusi Pisi who was at stand-off the last time the sides met, at the 2019 World Cup in Japan. Scotland won 34-0 and Grant Gilchrist is the only starter from the game in Kobe who is in Townsend's XV for Eden Park. George Horne and Adam Hastings both came on in the second half and the Glasgow pair are again on the bench on Friday. Former England cap picked by Samoa Pisi has included six uncapped players in his 23 and among the new boys is Jacob Umaga, the Halifax-born Benetton fly-half who won a cap for England in 2021 but has now switched allegiance. His father, Mike, won 13 caps for Samoa in the 1990s, and Jacob is the nephew of All Blacks great Tana Umaga. Jacob Umaga of Benetton will make his Samoa debut against Scotland. | Getty Images Other notable names on the Samoa team-sheet include Akpi Seiuli, the former Glasgow Warriors loosehead, and Toulon centre Duncan Paia'aua who played for Australia in a non-cap game against the Barbarians. Samoa's captain, Theo McFarland, is a back-row buddie of Andy Onyeama-Christie at Saracens and the pair will be in direct competition on Friday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Townsend expects it to be similar to the Fiji match in terms of the physical challenge. 'All three teams we're playing against on this tour have similar traits,' said the Scotland coach. 'Very powerful, dynamic players, very physical. They might produce something unexpected and the contact area is going to be a real battle. How penalty problems piled up for Scotland 'We don't have that much information on Samoa. They've not played a Test match since July or August last year - they missed out on the November window. 'They've got some quality players, some players that are playing around the world and players that played in the Super Rugby for Moana. What we know is they'll come out all guns blazing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'They'll have a big crowd behind them. They will have seen what Fiji did at times that gave them success in the game last week and I'm sure they'll want to repeat that.' Scotland's lock Grant Gilchrist played against Samoa at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, the last time the sides met. | AFP via Getty Images Scotland's poor discipline against Fiji was the biggest frustration for Townsend and the coach pointed out how the spiralling penalty count conspired to make the job of defending progressively harder. 'I think it reminds the players that if you are giving the opposition penalties there's consequences and the consequences are that you're having to defend a few more phases, often in your own 22,' he said. 'And those are harder areas to defend and there's more consequences there if you don't defend well. 'But it happens in games, it's never going to be perfect and I don't want to take anything away from Fiji, because they obviously had some really good moments. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I don't think I've seen that penalty count for a while. I think it was 14 against us and three yellow cards in the end, so it's going to be hard to win a Test match with those stats and we definitely don't want to see anything like that this week.' Interest in Boan Venter is 'hypothetical' Townsend, meanwhile, has wished Edinburgh prop Boan Venter all the best for his South Africa debut. The loosehead would have become Scottish-qualified on residency grounds in time for next year's Six Nations but was called up by Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus and will start Saturday's game against Georgia in Nelspruit. Asked if he was a player he would have wanted for Scotland, Townsend said: 'It's really hypothetical. He wasn't going to be available for a few months, so with players that you know are going to qualify on residency, yes of course they're in your mind and if they're good enough at that time they could come into the squad. But it's hypothetical until it happens and it's not going to happen now. 'I think he's been one of the best players in the URC the last two or three years. I think this year was probably his best season and whether it's the set-piece or his ball-carrying, he's really impressed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'So we wish him all the best. He's now embarking on an international career and it shows the quality of the player he is.' Samoa v Scotland teams Friday, 8.35am BST, Eden Park, Auckland. Samoa: 15. Latrell Ah Kiong; 14. Tuna Tuitama, 13. Duncan Paia'aua, 12. Henry Taefu, 11. Tomasi Alosio; 10. Jacob Umaga, 9. Melani Matavao; 1. Akpi Seiuli, 2. Pita Anae-Ah Sue, 3. Michael Ala'alatoa, 4. Benjamin Petaia Nee-Nee, 5. Samuel Slade, 6. Theo McFarland (capt), 7. Jonah Mau'u, 8. Taleni Seu. Replacements: 16. Luteru Tolai, 17. Kaynan Sitiene-Tua, 18. Marco Fepuleai, 19. Michael Curry, 20. Niko Jones, 21. Iakopo Mapu, 22. Connor Tupai, 23. Rodney Iona. Scotland: 15. Kyle Rowe; 14. Kyle Steyn, 13. Rory Hutchinson, 12. Stafford McDowall, 11. Arron Reed; 10. Fergus Burke, 9. Jamie Dobie; 1. Rory Sutherland, 2. Ewan Ashman, 3. Elliot Millar Mills, 4. Gregor Brown, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. Andy Onyeama-Christie , 7. Rory Darge (capt), 8. Matt Fagerson. Replacements: 16. George Turner, 17. Nathan McBeth, 18. Fin Richardson, 19. Cameron Henderson, 20. Marshall Sykes, 21. Ben Muncaster, 22. George Horne, 23. Adam Hastings.
BBC News
19-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Was Scotland's summer tour a success or failure?
We asked for your views on whether Scotland's summer tour should be regarded as a success or a what some of you said:Abigail: I don't think it can be classed as a success without the win in Fiji. However, I do believe the players on the tour will have learned a lot during their game time. The players built strong cohesion to end the tour and some players really stood out for Scotland selection, which is the ultimate aim. Especially Jamie Dobie, Andy Christie, Fergus Burke, Gregor Brown, Kyle Rowe, Ben Muncaster and Ollie Yes, it was a success because of the amount of first-team players who were missing. They did great against No, it's been a failure. We couldn't find our game against Fiji and got beat for it. Winning against Samoa isn't getting us into the top-six rankings, which means another group of death in the next World Cup. Gregor Townsend's time is The Fiji game was billed as crucial to our World Cup seeding so the success of the tour can only be judged on this game. We once again showed a complete inability to perform when it really matters; characteristic of Townsend's tenure as head coach. The only way the tour could be judged a success is if the higher-ups at the SRU finally see sense off the back of this fresh failure and remove I'm counting the performance of the Dobie-Burke combination as a success. They looked class against Samoa, with the creative emphasis taken on by Dobie while Burke attacked the line with solid skill. Of course the Fiji result is not ideal, but the exposure of the wider squad to test match rugby is a plus. Christie and Fin Richardson also looked up to speed and offering something to be hopeful for in the The Scots did their job well against Samoa. Ewan Ashman had a good game, his first for a while. Arron Reed and Rowe connected well, as did Burke in the midfield. Fiji was a disaster but a good look at the talent coming through. Townsend has done well. The players let him down badly last Scotland still lack the killer instinct when they are ahead of teams. It's something which has not been addressed. We are able to fight back great and hold out wins here or there, however there is a lack of cutting edge, especially in second-half performances. Townsend says we showed character. We know we have that within us but it's taking teams to the sword which we lack.
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Gregor Townsend hails Scotland's ‘true identity' in victory over Samoa
Gregor Townsend praised his Scotland players for showing their 'true identity' after they bounced back from defeat to round off their Pacific Tour with an emphatic victory over Samoa. Seven different Scotland players scored tries as the tourists won 41-12 at Eden Park in Auckland. Scotland opened their tour with victory over the Maori All Blacks in New Zealand but were on the end of an ill-disciplined 29-14 defeat by Fiji in Suva last weekend. That result was a major blow for Scotland's aspirations of breaking into the top seeds ahead of the World Cup draw in December, but Townsend's side reacted in the best way possible to finish the season on a high. 'It was hugely important,' Townsend said. 'You rise to a challenge and you show your true identity when you've got that challenge of backing up a defeat and the players showed that. 'The way they came together during the week with just a six-day turnaround and one training session, they were really aligned and focused on delivering a better performance and they did that.' Scotland quickly got on top through tries from Lions -bound Ewan Ashman and Rory Hutchinson in the opening 13 minutes and were always in control of the game. Arron Reed, Kyle Steyn, Grant Gilchrist, Kyle Rowe and George Turner all crossed with the Samoans grabbing two second-half tries of their own. Townsend said: 'We had to defend really well at the beginning of the game. I thought Samoa brought a lot from their attack. They were direct, they were physical and they moved the ball well to the wide channels. 'So that set us up really well for us to move the ball when we had it. I thought we were really clinical in the 22, through our forwards mainly, with the mall, but also the direct carrying. 'And then just some really good skills to score tries and give us that cushion going into half-time. That would be close to how well the team played against the Maori. This game was more physical. 'It's been a really enjoyable tour, so it's important we finish with a top performance.' Townsend hailed scrum-half Jamie Dobie, who was involved in the build-up to several tries, but was stopped just short of the line himself and delivered some important defensive interventions. 'Jamie was great,' he added. 'He was battling with cramp near the end, but for him to go from nine to wing and play equally as well…. 'I thought Gregor Brown was outstanding, came back from injury and then getting another injury in our first game on tour. Grant Gilchrist going 80 minutes again and Fin Richardson in his first cap, showing real energy. 'And it was really pleasing to see our scrum and our line-up maul being dominant. It's something we've spent a lot of time working on. The players have really worked hard and we have had our rewards in that area on this tour.'
