Gregor Townsend remains tight-lipped over his future as Scotland head coach ahead of their summer tour getting under way in New Zealand this weekend.

Scotland is set to play against the Maori All Blacks in Whangarei this Saturday. Their tour will then take them to Suva for a match against Fiji, followed by a return to New Zealand to take on Samoa in Auckland.

But Townsend’s future remains unclear, with his contract due to expire after the Six Nations next year.

Alex Williamson, the chief executive of Scottish Rugby, has recently shown interest in extending Townsend’s contract and aims to have discussions during their tour.

Townsend has poured cold water over those plans and insists it’s unlikely the matter will be resolved any time soon.

Addressing questions on the topic, he avoided giving a detailed answer and stated: ‘It’s not really been talked about, and it’s not the type of discussion we typically have during campaigns.’

Gregor Townsend says he has not had serious talks about his future with Scottish Rugby

Townsend has handed the Scotland captaincy to Stafford McDowall for the first tour match

Tom Jordan has, thus far, missed out on a Lions call-up and will stay with the Scotland squad

‘We don’t have the time, really, and the focus is on making sure we prepare the team as well as we can this week and over the next two weeks.

‘Honestly, it’s not something I’ve thought that much about. A lot goes into preparation for a tour and then also when you’re away on tour.

‘There will be plenty of time to discuss whether Scottish Rugby feel that they want me to continue and also what I want to do at the end of my contract.

‘But it won’t be something that will be decided over the next few weeks.’

Pressed on whether he wanted to stay on and lead Scotland into the next World Cup, Townsend continued: ‘As I said, it’s not something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about.

‘This job gives me a huge purpose in my life, but it also demands a lot of energy. And just now that’s where all my energy is going into helping the other coaches and the team.’

Scotland will kick-off their Pacific tour against a Maori All Blacks side who thrashed a Japan XV 53-20 in Tokyo last weekend.

A representative team made up of players with Maori heritage, Townsend expects they will present a stiff test as the start of the three-match series.

He has picked a team with plenty of firepower in the backline, with Stafford McDowall captaining at centre.

He will be joined in midfield by Rory Hutchinson, with Ollie Smith making his first Scotland appearance at full-back since the 2023 World Cup.

Harry Paterson and Arron Reed will be on the wings, whilst Glasgow Warriors duo George Horne and Adam Hastings will pair up in the half-backs.

In the forwards, Andy Onyeama-Christie comes in at openside to make his first Scotland appearance in over a year following an injury nightmare.

Urging some of the fringe players to take their chance, Townsend said: ‘The opportunity is there in the short term to go out and play well this weekend. They’ve got the first crack at this tour.

‘It’s a chance to put pressure on selection for the Fiji game, the Samoa game, but also make the most of this time together.

‘It’s a chance to leave a really good impression on our minds as coaches for when next season comes around. These are players that we want in our squad.

‘We’ve had a taste of the New Zealand culture, the rugby culture. We had a good night at a local club, the Camel Club, where some of the club members and their families were there.

‘We were all dressed up in our club of origin jerseys, playing darts, connecting with each other. Maybe we should do that more often in Scotland, but we felt it was right to do that, coming to a real rugby country.

‘We had the traditional Maori welcome. We’re obviously playing the Maori team this weekend, so that was special and unique.

‘I think the players realise that this doesn’t happen in normal life. You come to a country where you get that welcome.

‘You get to spend time in a rugby country. We’re going to visit another one very soon, when we go to Fiji.

‘We know it’s going to be a really physical game against quality opposition. They put 50 points on a Test nation last week away from home.

‘It’s a Test match in all but name, but we are really excited for the challenge.’

The big news from the British and Irish Lions camp on Thursday saw Owen Farrell called up to replace the injured Elliot Daly.

With Daly essentially a utility back who can cover multiple positions, there had been a suggestion that Scotland’s Tom Jordan may have been a better option.

Jordan has been outstanding for Scotland across several positions over the past year, whilst Farrell has been well out of the Test picture after standing down from England duty.

Asked whether he had any view on Farrell being selected ahead of Jordan and others, Townsend said: ‘No, not really. I think there’s obviously a lot of quality players who were in the running for the initial squad.

‘There’s still some who are playing well. Tom obviously is one of them. Our focus is on preparing the guys for this weekend and the next couple of tests.

‘We are proud of our players who have been involved in the first few games for the Lions. It looks like they’re getting into a bit of a rhythm now.

‘They’re connecting on the field and winning games comfortably. I look forward to seeing Ben White involved. I’m sure he’ll be involved over the next week or two.’