Townsend targets a Six Nations title bid
SCOTLAND head coach Gregor Townsend believes his side can build on their thrilling win over France by challenging for the next Six Nations title.
Townsend sees no reason why his men can’t compete for the championship after a last-minute try from winger Duhan van der Merwe clinched victory in Paris for the first time since 1999, a result which added to a first win over England at Twickenham for 38 years in what was a hugely encouraging campaign.
Townsend, asked if he felt Scotland were now ready to aim for the Six Nations title, said: ‘I think so as we’ve challenged in every game we’ve played in the last two years. We’ve won six and had four games when we’ve been within seven points, so that’s being in a position to win every game.
‘Stuart Hogg spoke in the huddle after the game, and spoke again last night, about this having to be the start of the journey to what this team can achieve. We play this wonderful Six Nations
tournament every year and we’ve got a World Cup in two years now at the same stadium in France that we played in on Friday, so performances like this and the one against England will give us confidence against any team.’
Townsend, who is expected to be one of the assistants to
Warren Gatland on the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa in the summer, said he couldn’t wait to work again with the set of players he believes will continue to get better.
‘We have the summer tour window, which has yet to be confirmed, but we will definitely have some rugby to play,’ said the Scotland head coach.
‘We will have a period when we can get our players back in and there will be a two or three-week period when we will have some games.
‘Georgia, Romania and Spain are options. Japan are playing the Lions at BT Murrayfield and we may be able to do something around them. There are discussions around that.
‘There are also discussions around playing England in a friendly, whether it is a development or an A game, so I am hoping that in the next two or three weeks we will be able to put some fixtures together.
‘If anybody is away during the summer coaching-wise for these fixtures, we have capable coaches who can step up and do that role.’
The only bad news for Scotland was a possible serious shoulder injury picked up by prop forward Rory Sutherland.
He had to go to hospital in the French capital after being taken off and the extent of his injury will be ascertained after a further scan in an Edinburgh hospital.
‘Rory was in hospital but flew back with us and will get a scan when he gets home,’ said Townsend. ‘He’s in a lot of pain, it’s a shoulder injury but we won’t know until he has another scan if there’s any more damage.
‘I really feel for him. His performance against France on the back of the last two years in the Six Nations has put him in a very good position to go on the Lions tour, so let’s hope he’s not out for any length of time.’