Townsend drops hint on new Warriors deal
Townsend hints at a potential new deal
SRU chiefs are pulling out all the stops to secure Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend on a long-term deal after Edinburgh counterpart Alan Solomons extended his contract until June 2017.
Townsend, widely regarded as one of the best young coaches in Britain following last season’s Pro12 triumph, revealed yesterday that he had opened talks over his future.
The 42-year-old refused to go into further detail but hinted that talks with SRU chief executive Mark Dodson were progressing well.
‘Maybe ask me later next week and we will see,’ said Townsend. ‘We are here to talk about the team and the match against Scarlets on Saturday, but I am contracted for this year and discussions have been ongoing, so there you go.’
With top clubs in England, France, Australia and South Africa sure to be monitoring his next move, it will take a lucrative offer from the SRU to retain his services.
But the fact he is even talking about a potential new deal is positive as it was generally feared he would refuse point-blank to even discuss one.
Townsend has packed a lot in since hanging up his boots, with his first appointment being Scotland assistant head coach from 2009 to 2012 under Andy Robinson.
He was then controversially parachuted into the Glasgow hotseat after predecessor Sean Lineen was moved to another job at Murrayfield to accommodate him.
In his three years in charge, he has enjoyed continued success and has brought the best out of young players including Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray.
He has also used his worldwide contacts to fine effect, bringing in the likes of Josh Strauss from South Africa and Leone Nakarawa from the Fiji Sevens squad.
Indeed, Townsend has turned the club around to the extent that the sold-out signs are now a regular feature at Scotstoun, with the Warriors enjoying a higher profile than ever before.
He admitted, however, that the stop-start nature of this season — following several postponements and the absence of his top names immediately after the World Cup — has been tough to deal with.
Glasgow currently sit mid-table in the Pro12 and are already on the back-foot in the European Champions Cup.
The home loss to Northampton Saints in their opening match makes this Saturday’s clash with Scarlets at Scotstoun a must-win.
‘We probably can’t afford to lose because we’d be right up against it,’ said Townsend. ‘We’ve only played one game in Europe and there are five to go. We probably have to win four out of five at least to make the knock-out stages.
‘We know how good Scarlets are this season. They are top of the Pro12 and have some top-class players. John Barclay and DTH van der Merwe used to be with us but are now with them and they are both capable of great things.
‘John’s been in excellent form and was man of the match when we played earlier this season. DTH has been in world-class form for a number of months now, so they’ll be two of several players we have to watch out for.
‘They have beaten us already this year. We are expecting a really competitive opponent. They are aggressive in the way they defend and compete for ball.
‘They are going to come having had a big confidence boost from winning here earlier in the season. They’ve only lost once since then in the league.’
Townsend admitted the fixture backlog means his team may have to play every weekend, bar one, up until the end of the Six Nations.
‘From a club perspective, and maybe even from a fan’s, there has been so much rugby that maybe it does feel this season has been on the go for just four or five months,’ he said.
‘We are now facing a huge run of games in the Champions Cup, the 1872 Cup against Edinburgh and in the Pro12 but we can cope and put a good run of results together.’