LEAKY DEFENCE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AREA FOR TOWNSEND
DURING my time playing for Scotland, there were constant media questions about where the tries would come from. I thought about that yesterday as this new-age Scotland team ran in six and the Murrayfield crowd were left stunned by Samoa replying with five of their own.
The key is that we have started the Autumn Tests with victory, which is a fifth win at Murrayfield on the bounce — and when everyone talks about building a fortress with your home ground, this team deserves some respect for starting to achieve that.
The biggest challenge comes now, of course, and there is plenty from this performance that New Zealand will be looking at and savouring, too.
I don’t recall ever playing in a game like that, with that number of tries; maybe in club rugby but never at Murrayfield. We talk a lot about wanting to emulate Super Rugby — and that’s probably the closest we’ve seen to that at Murrayield and it’s so unusual.
One of the questions I would ask is whether we should have changed tack when we were leading 32-10 and shut up shop, close the game out. Would we have preferred a 32-10 win than a 44-38 one that was too close for comfort at the end? I think we probably would.
I thought our attack was outstanding but everyone knows what is coming next week and the players know this was not good enough, defensively, to be able to cope with the All Blacks. But you deal with what is in front for you.
It could have gone either way late on, but we did score some very good tries and we have blooded a few players who will stand us in good stead in the coming years — or even this season.
Darryl Marfo impressed me on his debut, from his turnover in the first minute that led to the opening try to his tackles and scrummaging. Stuart McInally had some really strong carries and enjoyed the benefit of boys in front of him putting in structure for lineout drives that enabled him to finish off with his first international tries.
He deserves that for the work he has put in changing from a back row to a hooker and working away at club level waiting for his chance.
Jamie Bhatti and Chris Harris will also have picked up little things that will help them at this level with their second-half debuts.
It was great to see Stuart Hogg looking so dangerous every time he touched the ball. He plays with such confidence and that flows through the team.
Finn Russell is similar and he had nice touches, crucial skills in the creation of tries, while Huw Jones is looking like a genuine threat with the ball. Ali Price plays a great, quick style and is suited to this plan we have to play the fastest game in the world — and you could see that not only in our attacking pace but in the ploy with quick throw-ins, McInally getting to lineouts quickly. Next week we may need to think about balancing that with slowing the game at times, too, to keep some control of it.
The scrum was strong and it was good to see a strong set-piece all-round, and I thought Ben Toolis was very good, strong, sharp and physical alongside Jonny Gray.
Defence was an issue, particularly close in where the pressure ramps up as teams go for the scores. Samoa were very impressive there and there is no doubt that, for all their worries around financing the tour, they don’t lack quality performers.
But, for me, we are developing as a rugby nation. Knowing Gregor Townsend, he will be questioning himself on why we were not tighter in defence and he’ll be asking himself what he’s learned about the players, what he’s learned about himself and what he focuses on in the coaching, to be better next week.
This will have been special for Gregor in his first game at Murrayfield as a Test coach and it was not too dissimilar to Vern Cotter’s first match at Murrayfield — a 41-31 win over Argentina, when Jonny and Richie Gray scored.
He will want more in attack, no doubt, but knows defence needs to be improved. The key thing about defence is knowing your role in the system, working really hard for each other and then simply making your tackles.
Samoa have some superb ball carriers but our defence wasn’t up to the standards we have set, and the coaches and players will be seeking big improvements.
But from what I saw yesterday, I am convinced we will score tries against the All Blacks — and that gives us a chance. You can’t beat them with penalties or one score — you need to be able to challenge them and pierce them. We have players now to do that.
Nothing is bigger than the best team in the world coming to Murrayfield and we have a team that can genuinely threaten New Zealand and ensure a cracking Test match. It will take a step up but you play who is in front of you and Scotland have started the autumn with six tries in a win over a powerful and skilful Samoa side. We take that and move on.