Empty words and shattered dreams

Scotland promised to shake up world order but it all proved to be bluster and bravado

SCOTLAND’S rugby players will begin making their way home today, shattered dreams packed away for another four years.

All the brave talk in the build-up to this World Cup of a team capable of not only competing but winning the tournament seems so empty amid the tears and recriminations that followed the defeat to Japan on Sunday and the exit before the knockout stage.

For a number of the players, this will have been their final footsteps on the World Cup stage, for some the last time they will pull on the Scotland shirt.

‘I always feel that coaches don’t have the ownership on how you should feel,’ said Gregor Townsend. ‘That’s for the players, they put the effort in over four months.

‘Some of them might be thinking this is the last time they’ll play in a World Cup. For some, it might be the last time they play for Scotland.

‘You can only feel for them. No one wanted to be in this situation, so it isn’t great.

‘But they are a mature group. They’re emotionally mature, they’re a tight group and we’ll come together and have chats away from the topic of win or loss.

‘There is no analysis of performance for this group over the next few days. We’ve got weeks to analyse why we didn’t get to our best level and to play a knockout game.’

Yet the search for answers must begin immediately. Townsend claims the dice was loaded in favour of Japan and against the other teams in Pool A even before the World Cup started. He felt the fixture scheduling helped the host nation and was ‘a handicap’ to the other four sides in the group.

He was at pains to stress this wasn’t an excuse for his side’s failure to make the knockout stage. But he certainly felt the fact every team had at least one four or five-day turnaround apart from Japan gave them a huge advantage.

‘I don’t want this to be the narrative and it’s not why we lost,’ said Townsend. ‘It was always going to be very tough when that draw was made. The fact we had to do something different on Wednesday as most of the players who started on that day against Russia didn’t start on the Sunday against Japan.

‘It changes your training plan quite severely when you’ve only got one training session going into the biggest game in your pool. We’ve always known this would be the case and would be a challenge and that’s why I was delighted to see the way we started against Japan.

‘It didn’t seem to have taken too much out of them and obviously as we went into the second half it didn’t effect us hugely but of course it’s a handicap.

‘Every team got a four or five-day turnaround but one (Japan). They should make the tournament last longer and have no turnarounds, or everyone should have one.’

Townsend already has an eye on the next Six Nations although he is likely to go into it without Greig Laidlaw. Although the 34-year-old has not confirmed it, he is likely to retire from international rugby.

Time could also be up for those that have struggled during the World Cup, such as winger Tommy Seymour and back-row forward John Barclay.

‘Greig is not going to be at the next World Cup, it is safe to say that,’ said Townsend. ‘Players like him have left a massive legacy. He drives high standards off the field and really cares and shows what it means to play for Scotland. I am sure the others do, too, and they will have to take more responsibility. ‘It is certainly encouraging when you see players such as Scott Cummings, who did well to make our initial World Cup squad of 44 and play every game in the tournament and the warm-ups.

‘It is also really encouraging to see Jamie Ritchie, who was really outstanding against Japan, do so well. He also had an outstanding game against Samoa off the back of surgery two weeks before. There are more younger players coming through.

‘Not everybody in this squad is going to make the next World Cup. Some will transition out of the squad through their own accord or because a younger or different player deserves selection. We have some players coming through that should make us stronger.

‘We also have a group of players at the age of 25 to 27. Guys from Finn Russell, Jonny Gray and they have at least one more World Cup in them. Jonny has 55 caps, Finn on 49. Jonny Gray stood up against Japan and stood up against Samoa.

‘They have to drive the team forward. Coaches will be there but the players are the ones that have to set standards and step up.

‘What do you need to match the best teams in the world? Consistency from game to game, and within games. Winning is the standard you set.’