INDISCIPLINE was the root cause of Scotland’s demise in Dublin earlier today. They conceded 15 penalties to Ireland’s 10 in a match which offered far more entertainment than we have been used to seeing in this Autumn Nations Cup, and the most annoying thing from head coach Gregor Townsend’s perspective will be how many of those infringements were totally avoidable.
The turning point in the match after a highly encouraging first 30 minutes for the away team was the yellow-card shown to inside centre Duncan Taylor for a deliberate knock-on, which was perhaps a marginal call but Townsend said he had no real complaints about the decision.
“You take a risk when you’re coming up to shut down the tackle if the player gets the pass away, so we know that’s something where we’ve seen yellow cards given in the past,” he conceded. “Obviously, that put us under a lot of pressure in our 22, being a man down. Ireland had a lot of possession for that period.
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“To have such a big penalty count against us at Test level, that either equates to three points or it equates to more pressure, kicking into the corner and having to defend on your 22, and if you do that too often then you’re going to either concede more penalties or concede points.
“I think we were on the edge a few times,” Townsend added. “Whether it’s going for ball or being really physical, we’ve just got to know where that edge is because I felt we were comfortable in defence when we weren’t giving away penalties – and the pressure we were putting on Ireland was forcing them to kick, certainly in the first half.”
Focussing on the positives
Despite his clear frustration, Townsend insisted that he was generally encouraged by what had transpired at the Aviva Stadium.
“We’re a work in progress,” he said. “I thought the first 35 minutes was some of the best rugby we’ve played all year and that was probably above expectations given it was a new team today – a new stand-off and a new inside-centre.
“We were physical in defence, physical in attack, finding space – the disappointing and frustrating thing is what happened in the 10 minutes after that.
“Yes, you want to see that long-term development and the team improving but you come here to win games and we went from a position where we felt we could kick on and go and win that game to one where the game went away from us.”
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Townsend also had words of praise for debutant Jaco van der Walt, who kicked 11 points and generally looked comfortable at international level playing opposite the highly experienced Jonny Sexton.
“He should be really pleased with the way he performed and that’s on the back to two training sessions. To come in for your first cap on the back of quarantine, meeting your new team-mates, training with them for the first time, and then producing a performance like that – that’s a big positive.
“There were a couple of errors, probably from the excitement of it being his first time playing at this level, but I felt he was physical in defence. We looked to move the ball wider in the second half and there were a few times we did get width and it eventually opened up space for Duhan’s try.”
Onwards and upwards
Next up for Scotland is a trip to Twickenham in February to kick-off the Six Nations against an England side which thumped this Ireland team just a few weeks ago. It is a daunting task, but Townsend insisted that the team is better equipped now to face that challenge than they were at the start of this elongated Autumn campaign almost two months ago.
“We’ve utilised a lot of players and learned a lot about them,” he said. “To see how they’ve fitted in at Test level has been really useful.
“We’ve learned a lot about our set-piece. Our scrum coach Pieter de Villiers came in at the start of the Six Nations and had four games, now he’s had another five to work with the team.
“Forwards coach John Dalziel is also new this year and the way our maul has developed and our lineout defence … I think there are a lot of positives out of that.
“We’ve seen players in this period who maybe wouldn’t have played international rugby or maybe not had as many minutes and that’s been good for them, knowing if they put the effort in in training and come into our camp on form then they will get the opportunity, and now we want to see them take that experience and use it as motivation to play well for their clubs over the next few months.”
We should not extend Townsends contract before we see the results of the 6 Nations – normal good management practice .
Get the results , get the contract
A home born team that would do very well: Hogg, Graham, Jones, Bennet, Kinghorn, Russell, Horne, Sutherland, McInally, Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Bradbury, Fagerson and Ritchie
Though by that logic, you’d have omitted John Barclay in his day.
I don’t mind the odd Saffer or kiwi in the team but when we finish with Nel, Kebble, Thompson, Cowan, Van Der Walt, Van Der Merve and Maitland (7 in total)I just feel huge sadness for the state of our game and for the Scottish born and raised players who will never get a look in at the top level. Maybe it’s Covid, maybe it’s sentimentality, but I find it harder and harder to muster any genuine enthusiasm when I watch Scotland play in the current era.
A home born team that would do very well: Hogg, Graham, Jones, Bennet, Kinghorn, Russell, Horne, Sutherland, McInally, Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Bradbury, Fagerson and Ritchie
I agree he maybe isn’t the best choice of captain but he leads by inspiring those around him and if you cant see some of that as a Scotland fan over the years then go help us! Yes he runs the ball alot but that is because he is one of the best broken field runners in world rugby, agree the balance needs to be right but you dont want to negate our strongest attacking outlet either by expecting him to pass constantly when he sees gaps (such as he did several times in the first 30 mins in Dublin). In terms of not passing, ive watched Warriors and Scotland with Hogg playing for many years and can think of absolutely countless assists so again a little harsh for me. The overall performance and pack especially is what cost us on Saturday, they floundered after 30 minutes. We are not gonna beat big Tier 1 teams like Ireland if we are just bullied out of the match before half time
As soon as I saw the line up I knew the game was a bogey. Townsend had played Ireland 4 times and lost 4 times, in Feb he came closest to beating Ireland in Dublin in a match we should have won had Hogg not inexplicably dropped the ball. Can I ask did Townsend genuinely not want to win thie encounter? Did he actually think he was going to win it with a totally experimental backline including Thomson at 6 who for me has been noticable by his absence in almost any Scotland game he has played in? Townsend knows alot more than me but did he actually believe this back row was gonna cut the mustard against a canny combination of Stander, OMahoney and the new superkid on the block Doris? Also whilst we are on team selection, how exactly are we planning for the future when a kiwi Cowan who was deemed not good enough already seasons ago comes in to secure a bench spot ahead of the likes of Bradbury, Gordon or Crosbie? I just dont see the logic there. Not to mention the fact VDW made his debit at fly half in an arena where we struggle all the time and against a hugely experienced Sexton. So so many questions and not many logical answers.
Are these boys not sick of going out and being overpowered by their Irish rivals? It happens almost every single time we play them. Even against big England and French packs we have shown more resolve in recent times but against Ireland it almost always ends up in the same meek passive rolling over and having our tummies tickled.
The only real positive for me was seeing Hogg back to what he does best in the first 30 mins when we actually had a platform / parity in the game, he was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch and showing that attacking verve we need against teams, actually taking men on and beating them. A quiet 2nd half but it is difficult for your outside backs to do a whole lot when your pack is being beaten up all over the pitch
Hogg doesn’t pass and doesn’t lead. Apart from that he is the business.
I agree he maybe isn’t the best choice of captain but he leads by inspiring those around him and if you cant see some of that as a Scotland fan over the years then go help us! Yes he runs the ball alot but that is because he is one of the best broken field runners in world rugby, agree the balance needs to be right but you dont want to negate our strongest attacking outlet either by expecting him to pass constantly when he sees gaps (such as he did several times in the first 30 mins in Dublin). In terms of not passing, ive watched Warriors and Scotland with Hogg playing for many years and can think of absolutely countless assists so again a little harsh for me. The overall performance and pack especially is what cost us on Saturday, they floundered after 30 minutes. We are not gonna beat big Tier 1 teams like Ireland if we are just bullied out of the match before half time
Well, he did beat a couple of defenders early on but…
Maybe he thought the game was won but he went for a wee dance down the right touch line, leaving himself totally isolated and with no option but to kick, and, sure enough, his aimless punt resulted in the Irish attack that led to Taylor’s yellow, the complete turnaround of the balance of play and shorty after the first Irish try.
The second try was a direct result of Hogg failing to put his laces through a loose ball and get it the hell out of our 22. These medium range grubbers close to our line are becoming a recurring theme and Hogg just seems to be totally incapable of dealing with them.
For me these are basic, basic, basic game management issues that an Under-16 would be embarrassed by. An international Full Back really should know better anyway but a captain simply can’t make mistakes like that.
Since taking on the captaincy he is running at close to one absolute clanger per game. Against that there is only one major positive intervention; his try against Italy in the spring. This has to be a mental issue. The captaincy clearly does not suit his temperament.
Scotland has not produces a referee that has officiated in a six nations match. We have no influence at the top level and this may be a contributory factor.
I find it hard to understand why our international team and also our 2 pro 14.teams are so indisciplined. So many penalties are given away each game that it becomes very difficult to win games
Until we can compete physically with the top teams both at club and at Country level, we will continue to give away pens. Upper body strength still lacking despite having a pack of comparable weight in most cases. Observing attempted clean outs at ruck time is poor. Too easily outmuscled.
I like the way toonie always takes the blame for a poor performance
Ha ha ! Very good