Gregor Townsend: Scots must be better than in autumn to win title
HEAD coach Gregor Townsend believes Scotland will need to play even better than they did in the autumn to have a chance of winning the Six Nations title.
Scotland took New Zealand to the wire before thrashing Australia by a record margin in their final November Test.
“We are well aware this tournament is going to be very difficult. It is the best rugby tournament in the world on a yearly basis,” Townsend said.
“We will have to play even better than in November if we are going to win.”
Townsend highlighted the challenge of facing a “hugely experienced” Wales side in their opening game next Saturday in Cardiff, where Scotland have not won in eight attempts since 2002.
But after breaking a 10-year losing run against the Welsh at Murrayfield in last year’s tournament, and following the buoyancy of their autumn displays, Townsend is happy to embrace the positive feeling surrounding his side.
“I believe optimism can be a competitive advantage,” he told BBC Sport. “The role of a coach in any team is to create a feeling of optimism; you want your players to believe that what they have done — whether it is in previous games or in training — puts them in a good position to win on the weekend.
“We can certainly refer to victories and performances and the way we train to create that optimism going into this tournament.”