Key Scotland player explains how current team can take the next step - and it 'sounds basic'

During a recent media session at Scotstoun, the Glasgow Warriors No 8 agreed that many key players in the national squad were entering their peak years and cited the backline in particular as a talented group with the potential to lift the team.

On their day, he believes Scotland have the ability to beat anyone but he also knows how hard it is to string together those types of performances in a tournament situation and says it’s now time for the forwards in Gregor Townsend’s squad to “find their identity”.

The Glasgow Warriors No 8 is foursquare behind Townsend who has signed a contract which extends his tenure as Scotland coach to the end of 2027, meaning he will have one more crack at the Rugby World Cup.

It could be the final time on the global stage for Finn Russell who will be 35 when the tournament kicks off in Australia and proved on the recent Lions tour that he is as shrewd an operator as any stand-off in the world. He was joined in the Lions Test team by fellow backs Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones and Blair Kinghorn and Dempsey sees them as being in their prime.

‘Finn’s prime is endless, apparently’

“I was saying to Sione the other day, and he's obviously the national captain now,” said Dempsey. “I'm quite close with him, but he's 28 now. Really at the peak of his physical and mental stage, in terms of his rugby brain and rugby IQ.

“Finn's prime is endless, apparently. From a maturity point of view, he's leaps and bounds ahead of what he used to be. Blair Kinghorn as well, another guy athletically in his prime at one of the best teams in the world. And the maturity that he shows, you know, which is a key one.

“But I mean, look, I don't think that those kind of guys in the backline have anything to hide behind. It's more finding identity as a pack as well. I think, you know, that's something that, myself as a forward, you kind of look at, you got all this stardust sprinkled around in the backline and what they're capable of.

“It’s about doing our part as a pack, you know. And being a back row, you're kind of a bit of a hybrid of both - you’ve got a foot in both camps.

“So what's going to take Scotland to the next level? We all know that the pack has to go up a level or two. It's more about how you do that, you know, without being stupid. Age profile wise, people are pretty much ready to go. It's just about doing it. But yeah, it's more a window. It's not just like 2025, 2026. The window has been here for a few years and a few more. So it's about just the stars aligning really.”

It sounds juvenile but this is what it takes

Dempsey is pleased Townsend is staying, describing him as “a very smart tactical coach, very switched on” but is under no illusion about how difficult it will be to secure major silverware with Scotland. He has spoken before about what he thinks it takes to win a Six Nations or a World Cup. He was a key player in the Glasgow Warriors squad that stunned rugby by winning the URC final against the Bulls in their own backyard and Scotland would need that sort of performance repeated to clinch international success.

“Well, honestly, all BS aside, it's about the 80 minutes on the day,” said Dempsey. “So let's talk about the Six Nations. So there's 80 minutes, five times. That's what it is, right?

“So to answer your question, what do we need to do to go to the next level? We need to just play five games at our best five times. That's it. It sounds juvenile, doesn't it? It sounds very basic but when was the last time Scotland did that? That's what the answer is. The thing is Ireland rarely play below a seven out of 10 and that’s why they are so hard to beat.

Harder to win a Six Nations than a World Cup

“But France are a bit like Scotland in a way where they'll be fluctuating. But because of their depth and because of the athletes they have, they can reach higher highs. But, you know, we've beaten France, in France before. We should have been them in Murrayfield the other year, you know, at the end [in the 2024 Six Nations, when Sam Skinner's late try was chalked off]. But it's just one game at a time. The difference is you come here [at Glasgow], we’ve got 20 odd games where you can iron out stuff. Then you play with Scotland and you’ve got to get 25 blokes together and play five games in a row.

“I’ve said this before, I think it's honestly harder to win a Six Nations than a World Cup because South Africa won the last two World Cups, right? How many games did they lose? They lost one in each. To win Six Nations, you've got to win it all. If not, you've got to rely on bonus points and all this other stuff. And it's not knockout. And it's home and away and alternates every year.

“At a World Cup, unless you're the host, you're in a random place where it's a neutral field pretty much, unless you're coming up against the host. You can lose a game in the pool, which could help you in the quarters depending on who you pull. It's tough, mate. It is. But to answer your question, you got to be healthy, you got to be fit and you'll be ready to go and you'll play five in a row and you got to be up for it every time. That's it. That's the answer.”