Gregor Townsend hogs limelight after speculation - he and Scotland have much to prove

A story this week linking him with a hands-on role at Newcastle Red Bulls was an unwanted distraction as he prepared to take charge of his ninth Six Nations campaign as Scotland coach.

Townsend tried to bat it away as an attempt by “an English newspaper” to disrupt him ahead of the championship in general and the Calcutta Cup in particular. It certainly succeeded in pushing him into the limelight.

In truth, no one would be a bit surprised if Townsend does rock up at Kingston Park when his Scotland contract expires next year. He has, after all, been working for Red Bull as their “strategic advisor” on rugby since October and given the energy drinks giant’s chief rugby interest is Newcastle, it’s not hard to join the dots.

Outwardly at least, Townsend seemed relatively unfazed when he performed media duties on Thursday but his Red Bull role remains a thorny topic and one which threatens to cast a cloud over this campaign. The only way to douse the speculation is to win games and in this season’s new-look shorter, sharper Six Nations, it’s all about a fast start.

Fortunately, that is something at which Scotland have become adept under Townsend and you have to go back six years for the last time they didn’t win their first game of the championship. Backing it up has been the problem but with matches against Italy, England and Wales on three consecutive Saturdays, Townsend knows that momentum is key.

The big unknown for the coach is how his squad will respond to the first major test of their character since the spectacular collapse against Argentina in November.

They did play the week after the Pumas, swatting Tonga aside 56-0, but Saturday’s Six Nations opener against Italy feels like a better barometer of where Scotland are.

Scotland’s ‘honest conversations’

There has been much talk this week of “honest conversations” and “taking the learnings” but the proof will be in the pudding, as they don’t say in Rome.

Italy beat Townsend’s side 31-29 on their last visit here two years ago on what was a grim afternoon for Scotland who threw away a 22-10 lead. They failed to score a point between the 28th and 77th minutes, conceding a slew of penalties, and the defeat brought to an end a run of 13 consecutive Scottish victories over Italy.

It was also Italy’s first win in Rome in the Six Nations against any opponent for 11 years, after a 26-game losing run.

Scotland gained a measure of revenge in Edinburgh last season when they beat the Azzurri 31-19 but there were nervy moments. Having raced into a 14-0 lead, Scotland were pinned back at 19-19 in the second half and Murrayfield held its breath before Huw Jones scored tries two and three of his hat-trick to put the home side out of sight.

Townsend said the defeat of two years ago “had sharpened minds” and he believes Italy have improved since then.

“We know what Italy can do when they have that crowd energy behind them, ” he said. “They're two years further on in their development too and they are a cohesive team.

“A lot of that backline have played together, they've got some quality forwards, they beat Australia in November. So it's one of the toughest teams now to play in world rugby and the Six Nations, to play them first game up with the passion and atmosphere that's going to be in Rome... It's a sell-out, I believe, as well.

“They'll be targeting this game and we know we're going to have to play very well to win.”

The weather is likely to be a significant factor. The Stadio Olimpico was bathed in sunshine on Friday, the sky matching the colour of the Italian jerseys (Scotland will wear their pink away kit), but the forecast for Saturday is grim. There is a 90 per cent chance of rain and thunderstorms are expected around 3pm local time, just as the teams are preparing to kick off.

“It would be unusual to play in Rome in heavy rain,” noted Townsend. “And it would change the game, of course it would. It would mean more kicking, set-piece would be more focused, your defence comes into the game more, and we've got to be able to adapt to that. So it's a game that works for us against the opposition, and in terms of the conditions, that is going to see us winning.”

Scotland’s chances are enhanced considerably by the return of Jones and Zander Fagerson. Neither played in the Argentina defeat, with Jones missing the whole autumn campaign as he recovered from surgery on his Achilles. Fagerson made his comeback against Tonga and has since put together a run of matches for Glasgow Warriors which suggests he’s approaching his optimum. Both are world-class players and their inclusion increases the Glasgow contingent to nine in the starting XV and 14 in the 23.

It’s a fair reflection of the form the Warriors have shown this season, with Franco Smith’s side sitting atop the United Rugby Championship and riding high in Europe. Such has been their excellence that Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie have usurped Scotland’s top two men’s try-scorers of all time, Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham, from the wing berths. Former Glasgow man Tom Jordan is preferred to Blair Kinghorn at full-back.

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