Lessons of Gregor’s first Six Nations

If Gregor Townsend’s Scotland team were to receive a report card on this year’s Six Nations campaign, it would probably read something along the lines of: “Trying hard and making good progress, but let down by periodic lapses of concentration.”

The Championship consisted of both highs and lows – or rather, lows and highs.

You can throw in a few nerveracking moments, too, as Scotland climbed to their highest finish in the table for a number of years.

Three wins out of five isn’t a bad return but when you delve under each of these wins and losses, both good and bad emerge.

Scotland’s opening match was the most disappointing. Townsend made some interesting selections, both playing individuals out of position and selecting others who just weren’t quite ready for Six Nations rugby yet.

Changes were made and with the changes in personnel came changes in the fortunes of the side.

One good performance against France, then a second much better game against England followed and fans could believe.

Yet the plague of inconsistency returned, and the Scots allowed Ireland a bonus point win and the guarantee of the Championship when England lost to France in Paris.

The score in Dublin didn’t reflect the ebb and flow of the match and had Scotland been less generous with their errors and telegraphed long, cut-out passes, while the outcome may have been the same, the score would have been very different.

In Rome, Scotland had to dig deep to come from behind to win against a resurgent Italian team, desperate to silence their critics.

It was nail-biting stuff, and thankfully Greig Laidlaw’s boot spared Scotland’s blushes – not for the first time.

So what did Townsend learn in his first season in charge?

Well, he knows that he has some strength in depth in his tight five.

While the line-out was not always as solid as it might have been, the scrum was rock-solid all tournament, even though the prop injury list was extensive.

He also knows that Finn Russell needs to be more consistent and learn how to manage games more effectively.

There is also real strength in the Scottish back three, albeit Tommy Seymour looks short of form.

Huw Jones has been a revelation as has Stuart Mcinally. The latter is a Scottish captain in the making, albeit John Barclay has been outstanding.

It’s work in progress, but the foundations are there to build on.

Consistency will be a key theme before the 2019 World Cup.

So what did Gregor learn in his first season in charge?