Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has warned that changes could be made after Saturday’s heavy defeat by New Zealand, insisting no player is guaranteed a place in the team.
Scotland were chasing a first-ever win over the All Blacks but suffered a 43-21 Nations Championship loss at Murrayfield.
New Zealand scored seven tries in a commanding display. Scotland were outplayed across the field and were arguably fortunate that the final scoreline was not even more emphatic.
Several senior players, including Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu, Zander Fagerson, Jack Dempsey, Ben White and Kyle Steyn, struggled to produce their best form.
With Scotland now preparing for next Sunday’s meeting with Australia, Townsend acknowledged that he may turn to some of the players waiting for an opportunity.
Asked whether he was inclined to give the same players a chance to respond or make changes, Townsend said: ‘That’s the question, isn’t it?
‘There are players who are disappointed with their own performances, but also with the team’s performance as a whole.
Gregor Townsend is considering changes to Scotland’s side for the Australia match
‘It is a balance between cohesion and accountability. You are always trying to build cohesion, and we have certainly had that recently. But we were not good enough at the weekend. We were too inaccurate and our discipline was also below the required level.
‘We will consider that it was the first Test match of the season. How much of the performance came from a lack of cohesion, and how much would the same group benefit from having another opportunity next week?
‘At the same time, there are players training very well and making strong cases for selection. So we will assess whether changes are needed.
‘We have an eight-day turnaround, which gives us an extra day to recover compared with Australia, before a six-day turnaround against Japan.
‘The New Zealand match reminded me once again how brutal Test rugby can be. You can almost hear the impact of the tackles.
‘Keeping the same 15 players together for four consecutive weeks would be extremely difficult. Players will get opportunities; whether that begins next week remains to be seen.’
Townsend was visibly exasperated as Scotland repeatedly made basic mistakes that were ruthlessly punished by the All Blacks.
‘As players and coaches, we know we are capable of much better,’ Townsend added. ‘It was clear that we did not deliver our best performance against New Zealand.
‘There is considerable depth in the squad at the moment. Whenever you play for Scotland and wear that jersey, you have to perform.
Beauden Barrett scored New Zealand’s fourth try as the All Blacks moved towards a comfortable victory
‘A number of players did not produce their best against New Zealand. Whether they are given the chance to respond next week is something we will decide over the coming days.
‘No player is undroppable. Everyone understands what a huge privilege it is to represent your country, but this is also a professional sport. We must select the team we believe gives us the best chance of beating Australia.
‘Many of the players involved against New Zealand have also contributed to important victories for us in the past. That will be part of our consideration.’
Russell recently discussed his form with Bath, acknowledging that he had not reached his best level during the opening weeks of the new season.
The Scotland fly-half produced a few bright moments against New Zealand, including some well-weighted passes to Huw Jones, but overall he was below his usual standard.
Asked directly about Russell, Townsend said: ‘I think Finn has been fine for Bath during the first few weeks of the season, but this was not his best game against New Zealand. He will know that himself.
‘He will be disappointed and will certainly want to put that right next week. He has been outstanding for us over a long period, and he will want to show that quality against Australia.’
Scotland’s hopes of reaching the Nations Championship finals weekend with something meaningful to play for now depend heavily on the Australia match, with Japan due to visit Murrayfield afterwards.
Townsend also made clear that Scotland’s display against New Zealand would not be sufficient to overcome the Wallabies.
Australia suffered a 45-22 defeat by England, but Townsend expects the Wallabies to pose a serious threat
‘Yes, it is a match we need to win,’ he said. ‘We will have a game on the final weekend regardless, but we want to win.
‘We are playing at home and must be significantly better than we were against New Zealand. If we want to finish in the top three, we clearly have to win our next two matches.
‘Australia have brought some excellent individuals into their squad. I believe they are in a healthier position than when we faced them a couple of years ago.
‘It appears that many of their leading players are fit. They are probably playing more rugby as well. When you think of Australia, you think of a side that wants to play and retain possession.
‘They have gained valuable Test experience recently. They have played the All Blacks twice, as well as South Africa, Argentina and now England.
‘They have been building cohesion, so we expect a very tough Test match. Our performance against New Zealand would not be good enough to beat Australia, and we will have to improve.’
