Scotland's head coach Gregor Townsend remains confident that he can turn the team around despite a dismal start to their Six Nations campaign. The 18-15 defeat by Italy in Rome, marked by poor handling and scrum lineout performance, has raised concerns about his future at the helm.
Townsend acknowledges that criticism of his tactics will be inevitable after such a poor display but maintains that he still believes in his team's ability to achieve success in the tournament. "I believe in the players, I believe in what we're doing," he said, emphasizing that the team needs to make sure it happens next week.
For former Grand Slam-winning Irish fly-half Ronan O'Gara, Scotland's performance was a mixed bag. While the team showed glimpses of their potential in the final minutes of the game, they ultimately fell short. "If they had played like that for 80 minutes, it wouldn't have been a contest," he said.
Italy dealt better with the challenging conditions than Scotland, and former England captain Martin Johnson credits the Benetton side's superior set-piece as key to their victory. Both pundits agree that the key moments in the game were those where Italy capitalized on Scotland's mistakes, ultimately leading to their win.
With a crucial match against England coming up at Murrayfield next week, Townsend is under pressure to prove his team can turn things around. However, he remains committed to his vision and is focused on getting it right in the face of mounting criticism. As one pundit noted, "That's par for the course if you're a coach."
Townsend acknowledges that criticism of his tactics will be inevitable after such a poor display but maintains that he still believes in his team's ability to achieve success in the tournament. "I believe in the players, I believe in what we're doing," he said, emphasizing that the team needs to make sure it happens next week.
For former Grand Slam-winning Irish fly-half Ronan O'Gara, Scotland's performance was a mixed bag. While the team showed glimpses of their potential in the final minutes of the game, they ultimately fell short. "If they had played like that for 80 minutes, it wouldn't have been a contest," he said.
Italy dealt better with the challenging conditions than Scotland, and former England captain Martin Johnson credits the Benetton side's superior set-piece as key to their victory. Both pundits agree that the key moments in the game were those where Italy capitalized on Scotland's mistakes, ultimately leading to their win.
With a crucial match against England coming up at Murrayfield next week, Townsend is under pressure to prove his team can turn things around. However, he remains committed to his vision and is focused on getting it right in the face of mounting criticism. As one pundit noted, "That's par for the course if you're a coach."
Scotland's struggles in the Six Nations are really testing Gregor Townsend's patience, but I think he's being too harsh on himself... a 1-point loss to Italy isn't the end of the world 
. We've all had those games where we just can't seem to get it right, even as players or fans 
. If they focus on the positives and learn from their mistakes, I think they'll bounce back stronger against England next week 
. It's going to be a tough one, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Scotland 
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. The fact that they showed glimpses of brilliance in the final minutes suggests they've just got to gel and build on that momentum.
. Teams that can mount comebacks like that often have some solid foundation to work from. As for Italy's set-piece performance, yeah, they clearly gave a better account of themselves in those conditions 
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. I think that's admirable, even if it means he'll be under pressure from fans and pundits alike next week when Scotland takes on England at Murrayfield 
. Can they turn things around? Only time will tell, but I'm intrigued to see how this unfolds 
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oh man, I'm so frustrated with Scotland's performance! 
they just got thrashed by Italy and now everyone's questioning Gregor Townsend's job security? 
come on, give the guy some time to sort out his tactics, he must've done something right to be picked as coach in the first place. 
I mean, I know Scotland's not used to winning big tournaments, but that's no excuse for a game like this. poor handling and scrum lineout? 
how do you even fix that? and now they've got England coming up... 
. If they can string those moments together for 80 minutes, we might be in for a treat 
! O'Gara and Martin Johnson are spot on about Italy capitalizing on Scotland's mistakes 
. Time to take a long look in the mirror and make some adjustments 
. The fact that Italy handled those crazy conditions way better than Scotland is just a huge concern. And Ronan O'Gara's right, they had some moments where they looked like they could've won the game, but then... what? 
[GIF: A person sleeping on the pitch, with the ball stuck in their head] 
. i mean, ronan o'gara said they showed glimpses of potential in the last minutes, but that's not enough... they need to be consistent from start to finish 
. and let's be real, england is gonna give 'em a thrashing at murrayfield next week 
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. I think he's being realistic by saying his team needs to step up their game next week vs England. The criticism is gonna be real though 
. Italy just played way better in the conditions, and Scotland's set-piece was all over the place 
. O'Gara and Martin Johnson are right, though - if Scotland can capitalize on their own mistakes, they'll be in trouble 
Martin Johnson's comments on Italy's set-piece are spot on too... that was definitely a key factor in their win.
Italy just played better under the conditions and benetton's set-piece was on point. gotta agree with ronan ogara that scotland showed glimpses of their potential in the final minutes but couldn't carry it through... 
️, 'cause that was a major problem 
. He's still got faith in his team, which is cool 
. It's gonna be tough against England next week 
I don't get why coaches like Townsend expect us to just forget about that kind of performance... 18-15? 
And Townsend still believes in his team, which is awesome. I mean, I've seen some of their games, and yeah, there's definitely room for improvement.
. He'll get his team ready, and we'll see what happens.
Scotland's performance was just plain cringeworthy 
. Townsend's just trying to keep his head down but it's hard when the team is playing so shoddily 
. And yeah, Italy did handle those tricky conditions better than Scotland 
. But let's not forget, it's just 1 loss so far and they've got a big game against England coming up... that could be made or broken in a single performance 
what was going through Gregor Townsend's mind when those scrum lineout errors kept happening? 
but Scotland can't afford to mess up like that again next week 
if they want to beat England 
this is gonna be a big test for them