Gregor Townsend stresses bigger picture as Scotland struggle against Ireland again

Ireland have haunted Gregor Townsend’s time as Scotland head coach but he insisted that each defeat to their near neighbours has helped his team grow and improve.

Despite taking the lessons doled out by the Irish – now standing at 11 defeats and not a single win in eight years under Townsend’s stewardship – Scotland appeared no closer to solving the riddle of how to beat the emerald green machine at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Whether it is in the Six Nations, or the two punishing losses in consecutive Rugby World Cups, Ireland continue to have Scotland’s number on the rugby field.

Townsend said: “The defeats that we have had against Ireland have shaped who we are. It has changed a little bit how we have played and that’s been transferred to other performances.

“It didn’t transfer well enough [on Sunday].

“You have got to take the learnings out of your game. They are disappointing and nobody is more disappointed than me that we weren’t able to go two-from-two [to start the Six Nations] and we weren’t able to beat Ireland.

“But Ireland deserved to win and we have to make that this game, and the last four or five that we have played, are part of who we are next time we play.”

Townsend revealed that the 36-14 defeat to Ireland in Paris in the 2023 Rugby World Cup was a particular watershed for his team. And while Sunday’s 32-18 loss makes it look like the Scots are still a distance away from competing in this fixture, the head coach was keen to stress a bigger picture.

He said: “The scoreline was big [on Sunday] but we have to look a bit longer term at where we have been.

“After that game against Ireland [in 2023] we changed a lot. Who we select, who we are as a team – and that was done with the players as well.

“Our next game we played a different type of rugby against Wales and we have carried that on and added to it.

“We have been really competitive since then but today was probably our most disappointing performance since Ireland [in the world cup].

“It happens every now and again so if it was to happen in the next three or four games then I would be much more concerned.”

It leaves Scotland’s chances of remaining competitive in the 2025 Six Nations hanging precariously.

Next up they travel to Twickenham to face an England side rejuvenated in the wake of defeated France 26-25.

However Townsend’s men are in a historic run of good form against their oldest rivals, having won the last four Calcutta Cup encounters.

Townsend said: “Look, we have lost to the number two team [in the world] who are going for their third title in a row.

“I think it would have been a massive shock if we had won – they were clear favourites.

“Playing against our next opponents is going to be difficult. We don’t have a brilliant record down there, it is a very tough place to play, but we do have a very good record recently.

“[England] are coming off the back of winning a great game against France.

“We know how difficult each game of the Six Nations is and we are going to have to play much better to have a chance of bouncing back with a victory.”