Scots once again flatter to deceive under Townsend

GREGOR Townsend has been given a long-term contract to turn Scotland into challengers at the 2023 World Cup. He is one lucky boy because based on this performance against Ireland, there’s no chance of that happening. The best teams in the world don’t put in all the hard work to draw level — only to hand the lead back to the opposition a few plays after the restart with only four minutes left. They show composure and they stay cool, which Scotland sadly didn’t. Townsend’s men should have had their wits about them, but Ali Price took too long to clear his lines and Irish replacement Ryan Baird charged his kick down. The Scotland No 9 had a chance to redeem himself, only to then be done for holding on. Credit Johnny Sexton for putting over the winning penalty from so close to the touchline — and while under so much pressure — but it was an opportunity he should never have been gifted. Price made the key error but he wasn’t alone. Scotland were dreadful at the line-out, with second row Jonny Gray having his worst game for his country before he went off with a shoulder injury. Third-choice hooker George Turner did well against England and Wales but three decent games in a row was beyond him. The sooner either Stuart McInally or Fraser Brown return from injury the better. W P Nel is a good prop but based on how he played here, his best days are behind him. Let’s not forget this was an Irish side who are not any better than Scotland in terms of individual players. And let’s not forget, we’re supposed to have two world superstars in Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell. The Scotland captain did okay. As for Russell, he was inconsistent, yet again, before he had to go off with a head knock that is set to rule him out of the Italy game on Saturday. With British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland sitting in the stands, Hamish Watson was the only Scot to put in a performance good enough to suggest he should be picked to take on South Africa this summer. Hogg and Russell have enough credit in the bank to be selected, but the likes of Gray, Jamie Ritchie and Chris Harris, who had a stinker and should be replaced by try scorer Huw Jones against the Italians, have done themselves no favours. Townsend (pictured), who will be Gatland’s attack coach on the Lions tour, didn’t do his reputation much good either. Rather than kick on after the England win, his team have gone backwards and he isn’t getting the best out of them. Nothing less than a bonus point win over Italy and a decent performance against France in Paris will do. But, so far, Scotland are still flattering to deceive under Townsend.