GREGOR TOWNSEND believes there's more to come from this Scotland team - and wants to keep leading them.
The head coach still has a year left on his contract but there have been calls for him to go early after another disappointing Six Nations.
The Dark Blues had been tipped as possible dark horses for the title but ended up winning just twice to finish fourth.
It was Townsend's eighth championship campaign - and Scotland haven't finished any higher than THIRD.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742174184/articles/sH6hRrsTwPvcNaZhahsys/1222715717.jpg]
But the one-time Glasgow boss says he’s still hugely motivated to keep going.
And he wants to be in charge when the squad heads south to New Zealand and the South Pacific later in the year.
Toony said: “I've got a contract and stepping aside wouldn'tbe the right thing to do anyway.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742174184/articles/sH6hRrsTwPvcNaZhahsys/1537471717.jpg]
“I still feel a massive privilege being in this role gives me a big purpose in my life. You need time to reflect after tournaments but I'm proud of the performance against France.
“As soon as I start watching the video again ll be down for a few days.
“But my initial feelings, like they werein Twickenham and they're genuine, is that were asking our team to go and deliver.
“They did it in tough circumstances, tough environments. That’s the basis ofa team that can kick on. I'm encouraged by the displays. I'm encouraged by the players coming through.
“We have some players missing that are going to add to our group then some players who have come into our squad this year.
“The players are coming through to keep driving us forward. So that’s encouraging for the future”
But Townsend did admit that finishing fourth was a source of frustration after competing hard in four of the five games.
“The big disappointment was Ireland,” he said. “We set high standards and were really disappointed with that performance.
“We then needed to beat England and our performance proba...
The head coach still has a year left on his contract but there have been calls for him to go early after another disappointing Six Nations.
The Dark Blues had been tipped as possible dark horses for the title but ended up winning just twice to finish fourth.
It was Townsend's eighth championship campaign - and Scotland haven't finished any higher than THIRD.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742174184/articles/sH6hRrsTwPvcNaZhahsys/1222715717.jpg]
But the one-time Glasgow boss says he’s still hugely motivated to keep going.
And he wants to be in charge when the squad heads south to New Zealand and the South Pacific later in the year.
Toony said: “I've got a contract and stepping aside wouldn'tbe the right thing to do anyway.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583517504/1742174184/articles/sH6hRrsTwPvcNaZhahsys/1537471717.jpg]
“I still feel a massive privilege being in this role gives me a big purpose in my life. You need time to reflect after tournaments but I'm proud of the performance against France.
“As soon as I start watching the video again ll be down for a few days.
“But my initial feelings, like they werein Twickenham and they're genuine, is that were asking our team to go and deliver.
“They did it in tough circumstances, tough environments. That’s the basis ofa team that can kick on. I'm encouraged by the displays. I'm encouraged by the players coming through.
“We have some players missing that are going to add to our group then some players who have come into our squad this year.
“The players are coming through to keep driving us forward. So that’s encouraging for the future”
But Townsend did admit that finishing fourth was a source of frustration after competing hard in four of the five games.
“The big disappointment was Ireland,” he said. “We set high standards and were really disappointed with that performance.
“We then needed to beat England and our performance proba...
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 17, 2025