What Gregor Townsend must do over next two years to justify Scotland contract extension

“We're not comparing apples with apples there,” was Nucifora’s punchy response, and he had a point.

Bryan Easson deserves all the plaudits coming his way for leading the national women’s side into the quarters with a game to spare. But the draw was relatively kind to Scotland who have beaten Wales and Fiji, two sides ranked below them. Easson will leave his post after the tournament in England and, interestingly, Nucifora insisted the decision was the coach’s.

Gregor Townsend, meanwhile, has signed a new deal which will extend his reign to over 10 years and ensures he will still be in charge when Scotland take part in the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

Townsend will be hoping it’s third time lucky after his Scotland team were eliminated at the pool stage in 2019 and 2023. Luck was in short supply two years ago in France when the Scots were drawn in a group with Ireland and South Africa, then ranked No 1 and No 2 in the world. They lost to both and returned home early.

So what does Townsend have to do to justify this latest contract extension?

First and foremost, get Scotland through the pool stage in 2027. A third successive early exit from the World Cup would be calamitous, particularly when the tournament’s new format is taken into account.

There will be 24 teams in Australia, up from 20, and they will be drawn into six pools of four. The top two from each pool along with the four best third-placed sides will go through to a new round of 16, meaning only eight will miss out on the knockout stage. It almost seems harder not to qualify.

World class talent at his disposal

Scotland should also benefit from the draw taking place closer to the tournament and will almost certainly be in either the first or second pot of seeds - not the third as they were last time.

In truth, Scotland should be aiming higher than the last 16. With the talent available to Townsend, the quarter-finals should be the absolute minimum and, if the draw is kind, why not further?

Townsend has some world class players at his disposal and the main criticism of the coach is that they have not fully realised their full potential on the international stage. There were 12 Scotland players involved in the Lions’ summer tour of Australia and they are likely to be the bedrock of the squad when they return Down Under in two years’ time.

Scotland under Townsend have proved themselves capable of winning big matches and his scalps include home and away successes against France, England, Wales, Australia and Argentina. Consistency has been a problem and third place remains their highest finish in the Six Nations. Most grievously, they have lost 11 times in a row to Ireland on Townsend’s watch.

His legacy as a coach will be shaped by what happens over the next two years and he’ll have two more cracks at the Six Nations as well as another tilt at the World Cup. If he is to go out on a high in 2027 he needs to deliver in one of those arenas and justify the faith shown in him by Nucifora and Alex Williamson, Scottish Rugby’s chief executive.