Scottish Rugby

We asked for your views after Gregor Townsend named his Scotland XV to face England at Murrayfield.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Paul: I can see Townsend's thinking but I can't help but feel the make-up and balance of the 23 is off. Still, what do I know? If we see Finn Russell subbed off at the hour mark for Adam Hastings, with a record victory in sight, no one will be more delighted than me. I won't be putting any money on it, however.

Tommy: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Why oh why Gregor have you gone with the same again? Time to ride off into the sunset. Can't shake the feeling Vern Cotter would've gotten far more out of the players Gregor has had available to him. If I had the money I'd pay for Joe Schmidt out of my own pocket.

Ewan: Delusional. Abject failure, no threat, picked because they can catch but didn't and no consequences. Steve Borthwick supporting Toonie is like Kris Boyd supporting Wilfried Nancy. Blind loyalty does not mean it is a happy ship.

David: I think selection of Jamie Dobie (more a nine than a wing) is a strange one. We need the experience of Blair Kinghorn and could use Duhan van der Merwe as a wrecking ball off the bench. Kinghorn could also cover full-back. Tom Jordan is class and proven in England and normally plays 10 so why do we need Hastings? I would have had Kinghorn on the wing and an extra forward like Andy Onyeama-Christie, used to playing the English, on the bench. I hope we win this otherwise my English neighbours are going to be unbearable.

Arran: No Kinghorn? Really? Can see the continued absence of Duhan, despite his previous record against England, but Kinghorn is tall, good in the air and electric in attack. Even if he's not playing his best, he's a better fit for the modern kick-based strategy and better than Tom Jordan at full-back. I like the inclusion of Jamie Ritchie in the forwards to combat the English jackal threat and I'm happy for Gregor Brown to get the start, but 5-3 on the bench with Hastings in is just a bit baffling.

J Oliver: Townsend is now such a joyless manager. Emotionless and robotic. He inspires nothing and reeks of the corporation. And like the corporate or political class he never sees his own faults and thus won't go until pushed.

Your unmissable Calcutta Cup preview episode has landed.

Has Kyle Rowe been overlooked? Why can't Blair Kinghorn get into the Scotland 23? Will Adam Hastings actually come off the bench?

And what does it say about Scottish rugby when the starting XV doesn't have an Edinburgh player?

Tom English and Andy Burke discuss all these burning questions and more - listen and subscribe on BBC Sounds.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has been speaking to the media after naming his side to face England in Saturday's Six Nations clash at Murrayfield.

Here are the main points:

• Townsend says he "still believed the team would come back and win" after conceding two quick tries against Italy, but "the rain made it a very different game".

• He admits "we obviously did something wrong because we didn't get the win" but he doesn't think the side "unravelled" against the Italians.

• On the backlash from defeat in Rome, Townsend says "the feeling of losing is worse than the distraction of people giving their opinions to the group or me as a coach".

• He insists "lessons have been learned" from the Autumn Tests, adding the team "showed they were together and connected" in Italy last weekend.

• On the "huge" visit of England: "It's our biggest game of the season, it always has been and it's even more important on the back of a disappointing defeat. We know our supporters are behind us, as they always are, and we'll need their energy at the weekend."

• On his team selection, Townsend says: "Ewan Ashman being injured is a blow for him, he's been one of our best players over the last couple of seasons."

• He adds: "It's a big decision not involving Grant Gilchrist, I can count on one hand the players who have given more in this jersey over the years. But the team we've selected we feel can make a good impact at the start but also going into that final quarter."

• Townsend was asked if beating England can turn the tide, replying: "It's up to you guys you set the narrative. That's not really relevant for our team and I imagine not for our supporters. Our supporters want to see us winning and that's what we're trying to do."

• Explaining why he has stuck with a 5/3 bench split, the Scotland boss says: "Adam [Hastings] covers 10, so it's someone we know can focus on that role during the week and he has been playing very well. There are gambles going 6-2 with limited cover. We think the weather is going to be dry so there is more opportunity for backs coming on to have an influence."

• He adds: "You go into the game with expectations of using the bench but if you don't need to - if players are playing well and there are no injuries - then at times people don't come off the pitch."

• Townsend says it was a difficult call not to involve Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn again, but feels the backs deserve another go: "There are reasons we selected that backline and the bench going into Italy and it's the same reasons going into England," he says.

• Townsend says Scotland will have to "raise our game" to win on Saturday but disagrees that big performances have only come against England.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

Image source, SNS

No Edinburgh player in the starting line-up against England, which is a desperate indictment of the state of affairs there.

Sean Everitt's contract extension was a mystery when it happened and remains a total puzzler now. The history boffins now searching the vastness of their big brains to find out when, if ever, Scotland have had no representation from the capital club (1998 was the last time).

I can only imagine England will be looking at that Scotland back three and smiling at the absence of Duhan van der Merwe, in particular, but also Blair Kinghorn. Neither make it in the 23 again.

Big Duhan is not in good form, it's true. And the way the game has gone with so much contestable kicking is not in his favour. But the guy scares the life out of England, has X-factor and is a big-game operator.

Kinghorn is on his way back to Toulouse. A penny for his thoughts. From one of Scotland's main men to a no-part player. Again, he's not been playing great, but he's pedigree and offers something different. Very surprised he's not at least on the bench as a utility man.

Ewan Ashman is injured so George Turner gets the nod with Dave Cherry on the bench. Cherry hasn't played a game (in the second tier in France for a month).

Not long after he came on in Rome, Turner got yellow-carded for a ridiculous bout of ill discipline. He seems to have been forgiven quite quickly. Gregor Hiddleston should be in this 23. The Glasgow hooker has been exceptional all season.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

After that dismal display in Rome, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend was always going to have some tough decisions to make on his team to face England this weekend.

There might have been a temptation to recall Duhan van der Merwe, Scotland's record try scorer who has such a wonderful personal record against England.

Townsend has instead shown faith in the back three of Kyle Steyn, Jamie Dobie and Tom Jordan, who struggled individually and collectively at the Stadio Olimpico.

Pierre Schoeman, Grant Gilchrist and Ewan Ashman all drop out (Ashman has a neck injury but may well have been dropped anyway) to leave no Edinburgh players in the starting 15. None can have any complaints after the displays in Rome.

Jamie Ritchie should bring some edge that was sorely missing in Rome, and his ability in the air will be vital in a match that could be won and lost in that area.

I'm surprised Townsend has stuck with the 5/3 bench. It proved to be a mistake last weekend and seeing the firepower England will be bringing on late in the game, it looks like a gamble yet again.

One of the curious elements of Scotland's defeat to Italy was Adam Hastings not seeing a minute off action off the bench. That begged the question - why was he there in the first place?

Was he simply there as injury cover for Finn Russell? If so, it was merely a wasted spot on the bench.

The modern game is so demanding there is simply no room for players who are not going to feature.

It will be interesting to see what role, if any, Hastings plays against England.

Under-pressure Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has made four changes for the Calcutta Cup match with England at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Grant Gilchrist and Pierre Schoeman drop out of the pack and there is again no place in the team for Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe. Kinghorn and Van Der Merwe don't even make the squad.

The changes from the dismal defeat in Italy all come in the forwards. George Turner replaces injured Ewan Ashman at hooker, Jamie Ritchie comes into the back row in place of Matt Fagerson, Nathan McBeth starts at loosehead prop and Glasgow Warriors team-mate Gregor Brown is deployed at lock.

What do you make of the team selection? Can Scotland bounce back in style against the Auld Enemy?

Share your views here.

Scotland: Jordan, Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu (capt), Dobie, Russell, White; McBeth, Turner, Z Fagerson, Brown, Cummings, Ritchie, Darge, Dempsey.

Replacements: Cherry, Schoeman, Millar-Mills, Williamson, M Fagerson, Horne, Hastings, Graham.

BBC Sport Scotland's Andy Burke has been answering some of your Scottish rugby questions as Gregor Townsend's men prepare to host England after losing their Six Nations opener in Italy.

Graeme asked: Do you think the SRU see what we fans see with Gregor Townsend and Sean Everitt? And if they don't, what are they seeing that we aren't?

Andy answered: It's hard to know what those at the top of Scottish Rugby are seeing because they engage very little with the media, either on or off the record.

When chief executive Alex Williamson did a briefing after Scotland's disappointing autumn, he said "nothing has changed" in terms of the plan to have Townsend leading Scotland into the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Performance director David Nucifora is coming to the end of his contract and seems to have little appetite to make significant changes, as was demonstrated by the baffling contract extension for Edinburgh coach Everitt.

If the SRU bosses cannot now see the strength of feeling among the fans for a change then they either are not paying attention, or they do not care.

Perhaps having given Townsend an extension less than six months ago, Williamson and Nucifora are unwilling to admit they made the wrong call.

A win over England on Saturday will take a little sting out of the situation, but a bad defeat and those fans may well make their feelings clear at Murrayfield.

Liam asked: Where do we go from here? After the two losses in the autumn and in Rome, all these teams know we have no stubbornness about us. First time in a while I have no faith in this team. All that talk after November, to produce that? It's shameful.

Andy answered: Where do Scotland go from here? How many times have we asked that question?

Another loss to England and the fear is this could turn into a disastrous Six Nations. A trip to Cardiff follows in round three and while Wales are poor right now, Steve Tandy will have them fired up and I can't help but feel they have one big performance in them in this championship.

Conversely, wins over England and Wales puts them back in the hunt and restores a bit of positivity.

The problem with this Scotland team is even if they do end England's 12-game winning run, would you be confident they will back it up with three strong performances? No.

The team looks a little lost after the capitulation against Argentina and last weekend's poor showing in Rome.

If they can't muster a bit of fire and ferocity against England then it will only confirm that this coaching regime has run its course.

Image source, SNS

England head coach Steve Borthwick has called for more support for "phenomenal" Scotland counterpart Gregor Townsend.

The 52-year-old, who is under contract until after the 2027 World Cup, has come under increasing scrutiny after Scotland's 18-15 defeat by Italy in Rome in their Six Nations opener.

Former national team captain John Barclay even declared earlier this week that if the Scots fail to finish in the top three then "it becomes a necessity to see change".

Townsend failed to lead Scotland out of the group stage of the 2019 and 2023 World Cups and has never finished higher than third in the Six Nations during his nine years in charge.

But Borthwick, whose England side visit Murrayfield on Saturday, said: "I think Gregor Townsend is a wonderful coach.

"I was told recently that he has the best win record of any Scotland coach in the professional era. Sir Ian McGeechan had two spells and Gregor sits above that.

"The way he has coached the attack they have and the way they move the ball, when they do that they look terrific.

"I have immense respect for him as a coach and I find it surprising that people are not spending more time talking about Scotland rather than not supporting their coach.

"He's a phenomenal coach and they should spend more time supporting him."

Image source, SNS

Pieter de Villiers has urged Scotland to quieten the "outside noise" and reignite their Six Nations campaign with victory over England at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Gregor Townsend and his team have come under intense criticism since opening with a dismal 18-15 by Italy in Rome.

But scrum coach De Villiers insists they can claw themselves back into title contention by lifting the Calcutta Cup.

"It's only the second game of the tournament, any team in the tournament can still win it," he said.

"Italy will go out and surprise other teams as well, they're a really good outfit and I think it's going to be tight all around this tournament.

"It's important that we get that enthusiasm back to go and deliver a great game.

"A result against England obviously will turn everything around and put us on the right track to win this tournament.

"On Sunday everyone needed a pick-up because it's obviously a big disappointment, but I think everyone is squarely back on the horse.

"With such a big game coming up, the passion that is around this game ignites everyone to the top level. The concentration levels are there and the excitement is there.

"There will always be outside noise going on, that's the nature of this game.

"It's high-stakes, it's Six Nations, and if you don't get results, fans out there will be disappointed and people will obviously look into things and maybe want change.

"But for us nothing changes in terms of what we do on a day-to-day basis.

"Yes, we would have liked a better result but this weekend is a perfect opportunity to go and do it in a high-stakes game where both teams will be very passionate and driven to deliver a result."

Tom English and Andy Burke analyse Scotland's dreadful start to the Six Nations after the lacklustre performance against Italy in Rome.

They answer audience questions on team selection, the use of the bench, the mounting pressure on Gregor Townsend and they look forward to the Calcutta Cup.

Listen in full and subscribe to the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

Do you have any burning questions on Scottish rugby for our experts, Tom English and Andy Burke, as Gregor Townsend's Scotland lost 18-15 against Italy in the opening round of the Six Nations?

Send in your questions via this link and a selection of answers will be published on this page later in the week.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Gregor Brown says Scotland will not suffer a crisis of confidence after a dreadful start to their Six Nations campaign, losing to Italy in a sodden Rome.

The Scots served up a dismal performance in the torrential rain at the Stadio Olimpico as the Azzurri made it back-to-back home wins over Gregor Townsend's side.

England, who are on a 12-game winning run after thumping Wales, are next up for Scotland at Murrayfield as they look to salvage their campaign.

"We don't want to be a team that just talks about improvements and not getting the results," Brown said.

"I think that's where the main frustration comes. We really believe in this game plan, we really believe in what we're doing, in the players that we've got.

"We're sick of talking about it as much as probably the fans are sick of hearing us talk about it.

"We're absolutely gutted we couldn't get the job done. But I think after a result like that and the frustration, England at home at Murrayfield is the perfect occasion to try and bounce back from that.

"For us, this next game is the biggest game of the championship for us. It's something we spoke about, taking it moment by moment. And this next game and the moments in that game are going to be absolutely huge."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Townsend selections backfire

Many of us commended Gregor Townsend for his bold selections for the Italy game, but the gambles did not pay off at the Stadio Olimpico.

The decision to leave Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe out of the starting XV was understandable given the superior form of Tom Jordan, Jamie Dobie and Kyle Steyn.

However, the unfamiliar back three was exposed by an Italy side who clearly targeted that area.

Their positional sense was questionable for both Italy tries, they failed to win the aerial battle and offered little in attack.

It will be interesting to see what changes Townsend makes to his back three to face England.

Rome rain does not excuse performance

It would be easy to point to the biblical rain when looking for reasons for Scotland's dismal performance, but there was more to it than that.

The first 20 minutes were played in fairly benign conditions, and that was the period when Italy ultimately won the game.

The Azzurri were setting the agenda in defence, putting in dominant hits and defending with an intensity that was sorely lacking in Scotland's contact work.

In short, Italy looked like they wanted it more.

Set-piece struggles

It's hard to build a foundation to win a Test match without a functioning set-piece, and Scotland were all over the place in this department.

Ewan Ashman's three missed lineouts early on really set the tone. Those were opportunities for Scotland to really take a hold of the game, but squandering such promising attacking positions seemed to sap Scottish confidence and give Italy and their fans a lift.

Again, the line-out errors can not be chalked up entirely to the weather. There seemed to be confusion between thrower, lifters and jumpers as to what was happening. At the top level, that's inexcusable.

We asked you Scotland fans for your views after the 18-15 loss to Italy in the opening round of the Six Nations. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Ryan: Townsend said himself that this is his best squad. I agree, now we need the best head coach. Bye bye, Gregor.

MoLambo: It is time. Townsend must do the right thing and resign. His leadership, and the team's success, peaked years ago. It seems like he's lost the dressing room - the team didn't show up.

Bearing in mind the numbers of Glasgow Warriors in that side who have been tearing up at club level, the common denominator to failure is Townsend. I'd go as far to say we are now regressing whilst others are fast improving. I've supported Scotland for over 30 years, but yesterday I turned off the match for the first time ever.

Ashley: It's time for Townsend to step down. Scotland need a new direction if they're going to improve. Years of the same mistakes being made on the pitch. Something needs to change.

Greg: Townsend shouldn't have been in charge after the disastrous Argentina game. The Newcastle gig is a big distraction to his commitment to the Scotland job. We all know where he's going after the 2027 RWC. Relieve him of his duties now and get someone in to build for the future.

Pip: A lot of these players are coming in from winning environments and have had Lions experience. The evidence is against Gregor, he's the issue.

Stuart: Surely, this is it for Gregor? I questioned Scotland tactics from the start of this game. No more! Get Franco Smith on the phone now.

Grazer: Absolutely rubbish - clueless, listless and lacking energy. Even at the end we got held up. From the outside, there seems to be no leadership or spirit and that must come from the atmosphere created by the coach and management. We seem to be getting worse each game, and I really fear next week at home against England.

Robbie: That was the one of the worst things I've ever watched in my life. A nation of rain unable to play in rain. Scrums folding up like clothes into a suitcase. Line-outs wonkier than shopping trolley wheels. Woeful from Scotland.

David: Please remove Townsend. He gave us the basis a number of years ago and we have not moved forward. We have generational talent with a good coach. Let's move to a proper championship-winning coach, who picks the best players and knows how to win no matter conditions. Italy played to their strengths but Scotland have more talented players and this should have been a no contest.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Rome

Image source, Getty Images

Kyle Steyn insists Gregor Townsend retains the support of Scotland's players despite the growing number of fans calling for the head coach's exit following defeat to Italy.

Scotland's Six Nations campaign got off to a miserable start as the Azzurri adapted far better to the monsoon conditions at the Stadio Olimpico to claim a deserved 18-15 victory.

It is the latest in a series of damaging defeats under Townsend, and his ninth Six Nations campaign as national coach looks unlikely to yield any improvement on the fourth-place finishes of the past two years.

"We're all behind Gregor," Glasgow Warriors winger Steyn said. "I think, again, it comes down to the boys that were on the pitch today because we had the game plan for these conditions.

"We knew what we were going to do if these conditions came, and again, that game plan created chances. Up to the 23 of us on the pitch, we didn't take those chances.

"So we're all behind Gregor. I understand that there's a lot of noise outside of our huddle around that, but we're not focused on that. We're focused on what's being said inside.

"We're all behind him."