Townsend isn’t getting best out of strong squad

GREGOR TOWNSEND describes his team as ‘a work in progress’ with huge potential, but the promise of jam tomorrow has been going on for far too long.

If they don’t find the consistency required to win regularly home and away then, quite simply, they have no chance of challenging for the next Six Nations title. SRU chief executive Mark Dodson shouldn’t try to gloss over their shortcomings when he announces Townsend’s contract extension. Three wins and two defeats in the Six Nations, a friendly win over Georgia and one victory and two defeats in the Autumn Nations Cup has been the story of Scotland’s year. Five wins over nine games might seem a reasonable return, but if there had been consistent progress since the World Cup, then they would have run Ireland far closer at the weekend. In truth, they gave them more of a game in the first Six Nations match of the calendar year when the Irish won 19-12. To finish 2020 with a worse performance is not a good sign. Scotland played well in patches in Dublin before the indiscipline kicked in, the error count went through the roof and another defeat was posted. It was a familiar story. There have been some improvements over the last 12 months under Townsend. But he has one of the best squads any Scotland head coach has had at his disposal for years. He clearly isn’t getting the best out of them. Too many failed to hit the heights against Ireland when it mattered on Saturday. Flanker Jamie Ritchie still deserves to go on the next British and Irish Lions tour but he had a dreadful game and gave away too many penalties. Captain Stuart Hogg looked great with ball in hand but, by trying too hard to make things happen, he started to make unforced errors. There’s also a lack of steel in Townsend’s team. Where is our in-your-face type of player like Peter O’Mahony who plays on the edge of the rules? Blade Thomson was expected to be a back-row bruiser but he is a pussycat compared to the Irishman. Jaco van der Walt did okay on his debut but he will be back to third-choice fly-half once Finn Russell and Adam Hastings are fit. As for talisman Russell, yes, the Scots have undoubtedly missed his talents through injury this autumn campaign. But they also missed him for the bulk of the Six Nations following his almighty row with Townsend. Russell was in the wrong, in my opinion, but the whole sorry affair still threw up questions about the head coach’s man-management skills that have not been fully answered. So where does that leave us? Scotland start their next Six Nations campaign against England at Twickenham on February 6, by which time Townsend will have a nice, new contract extension until after the 2023 World Cup in his back pocket. He’s a lucky man to be offered such a long-term deal. He has to do more to show he deserves it after his team ended the year on a real low.