Scottish Rugby

Sandy Smith
Edinburgh Rugby fan columnist

A month of Scotland games should have helped put Edinburgh's capitulation against Cardiff firmly in the rear view mirror, but the national side's inability to close out a good start against Argentina instead served as a grim reminder of what we are coming back to.

The best thing to come from this period was the lack of serious injuries among any of our players - with the exception of a leg problem D'Arcy Rae suffered against Argentina.

The next phase of the season includes a return to the Champions Cup and the 1872 Cup matches, but it all starts this weekend at the Hive against the Ospreys in the URC.

It should be noted this game kicks off just a little after Wales' match against South Africa concludes at the Principality Stadium.

On the face of it, that's a boost for Edinburgh as it undoubtedly means Ospreys will be without any players involved in that game, as well as the superb Jac Morgan who was injured earlier in the autumn.

However, Edinburgh could also be without a few Scotland players, who may be granted a rest week. While no players participated in all four Scotland games, a few had to put in a bit more grunt than some of their peers.

Pierre Schoeman only played two games, but that included the full 80 minutes against Argentina.

Darcy Graham played three games and the most minutes, while Ewan Ashman probably had the best series of any Edinburgh player in Scotland colours, scoring four tries in three games.

Further afield, Boan Venter can point to three wins for South Africa, although that might not earn him a rest.

We now have 11 games before the Six Nations starts, and a decent block to get our season back on track. With the aforementioned circumstances of this weekend's game, we should get that block off to a decent start.

The start isn't where the worries lie though. The finish? Well, that's a different story.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external.

On the latest episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast, Tom English and Andy Burke review the Autumn Nations campaign and ponder whether a "new voice" is needed as national team head coach.

They also look forward to the World Cup draw on 3 December and celebrate the rise of history-making Scottish referee Hollie Davidson.

Listen and subscribe on BBC Sounds

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Glasgow Warriors centre Huw Jones has become only the second-ever Scot to be named in World Rugby's 'Dream Team of the Year'.

The 31-year-old has enjoyed a scintillating season for club, country and the British and Irish Lions, although he missed Scotland's autumn internationals through injury.

And while it has not been a year to remember for the national side, Jones has impressed, grabbing a hat-trick in the Six Nations opener against Italy and a further score in the 16-15 loss to England.

Jones' form earned him selection for the tour of Australia, where he was one of 11 Lions players to start all three Tests, scoring in the second match as Andy Farrell's side secured series victory.

At club level, Jones scored six tries in 10 appearances for Glasgow last term.

The World Rugby 'Dream Team' began in 2021, with former full-back Stuart Hogg in the inaugural year the only other Scot named.

World Rugby team of the year: Ox Nche (South Africa), Malcolm Marx (South Africa), Thomas du Toit (South Africa), Maro Itoje (England), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa), Tom Curry (England), Harry Wilson (Australia), Cam Roigard (New Zealand), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa), Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France), Len Ikitau (Australia), Huw Jones (Scotland), Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), Will Jordan (New Zealand).

Got any burning questions on Scottish rugby? Do you have any thoughts on the final Autumn Nations Series game or the campaign as a whole?

Well, our team are ready to answer them. Send your questions via this link and a selection will be answered on this page later in the week.

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Former Scotland prop Peter Wright has questioned head coach Gregor Townsend's suggestion that Scottish supporters are "entitled".

Townsend said the Scots "have no right to beat any team" after their 56-0 victory over Tonga in the final Autumn Nations Series match that came after defeats to both New Zealand and Argentina.

Scotland were 21-0 up against Argentina before a second half collapse saw them lose 24-33 at Murrayfield.

"I don't think we are [entitled]," Wright told BBC Scotland.

"We have expectations that we maybe want to win these games but we don't think we're entitled.

"I think the problem is that we've got ourselves into really, really good situations and we've shot ourselves in the foot. Fans are frustrated with that and the players and coaches will be frustrated with that more so than anybody.

"I just think to come out and say about being entitled to beat these teams I don't think he was right to make that comment."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scots do the job against physical Tonga

Defeating Tonga was never likely to erase the disappointment of the losses to New Zealand and Argentina, but Scotland did a professional job against an awkward opponent.

Tonga were dangerous, in the more literal sense of the word. Some of their high shots and clearouts were ugly, and they probably should have received more than the four cards they did.

The Scots were knocked out of their rhythm for the 36 minutes they failed to trouble the scoreboard, but had softened the Tongans up sufficiently to exploit the gaps that appeared in the final quarter.

Fagerson returns after "dark" times

Every Scotland fan will have been thrilled to see Zander Fagerson back in the dark blue after a horrible few months for the big prop.

Cruelly denied his place on the Lions tour through injury, and just falling short in his race to be fit for the matches against the All Blacks and the Pumas, Fagerson was clearly relishing being back out on the Murrayfield pitch.

"It's been a dark few months," he said after the game, and what a delight to see him come through to the other side. He remains one of Scotland's most important players.

Lock stocks in good shape

The performances of Max Williamson and Alex Samuel, albeit against limited opposition, suggests that Scotland's second row options will be in a healthy state for the foreseeable future.

Scott Cummings will be the first name on the team sheet when it comes to the lock positions, but the battle to partner him will be very interesting indeed.

Williamson and Samuel will be pushing hard, Grant Gilchrist demonstrated against the All Blacks there is still life in the old warhorse, while Gregor Brown, whilst excelling in the back-row this autumn, offers another combative option further up the scrum.

The second row may now be the most competitive area of the entire team.

Scotland fans, we asked for your views on Sunday's big victory over Tonga.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Kathleen: Gregor Townsend is always promising the world. He has served his purpose and is not good enough to lead Scotland to the World Cup.

Bob: Scotland have come a long way since 2012 when the first choice team including Stuart Hogg , John Barclay and Greig Laidlaw, lost to Tonga. Now they can make 14 changes and put eight tries on them without conceding a point. Townsend is 100% correct, they do not have the resources to expect to beat the top teams. They need to be at 100% for the full 80 minutes. Scottish Rugby is a minority sport with far fewer players than the T1 countries they are competing against.

Paul: The Autumn series told us nothing we didn't know about the side. We have lots of attacking talent, forwards and backs, however defensively we are robust for 75-80% of the game which simply isn't enough against teams in the highest tier of test rugby. Scotland will remain a distant second tier side regardless of world rankings until we deliver consistent dominant defensive performances against the worlds best.

Johnny: This message of entitlement shows exactly the problem. It's not entitlement, it's called a winning mentality. If Scotland are to progress we have to work for, aim to, and expect to beat the top six sides. That's what winners do, they get disappointed when they lose. Townsend expects us to lose to these teams so guess what, we do! Every time! He just doesn't get what leadership winning mentality means.

Anthony: The disconnect between what Townsend thinks and what the paying supporters think is stark. His post-match comments were borderline delusional. Apparently we only played badly for 20 minutes across four matches! I despair. That says it all about the mentality being instilled in this squad. Mentality is the main problem and that won't change with the same coach.

Brodie: The entitlement comment from Townsend was really clever by him. It is pure distraction and means the media are all talking about this rather than recurring failures and lessons not learned/lack of progress by the team.

Scotland concluded their Autumn Nations Series with an eight-try victory over a woefully ill-disciplined and out-gunned Tonga at Murrayfield.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say via this link

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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend: "We imposed our physicality on Tonga a lot throughout the game. We felt the pressure we were putting Tonga under, they would crack at some point in terms of the spaces would open up and our fitness would tell.

"We could have scored more point during that period but Tonga are a top team and you have to work hard for your points.

"The 20 minutes we had against Argentina is the negative throughout the four games, while it's only 20 minutes it's 20 minutes that cost us a game and that's what we have to get right.

"We need to manage those momentum swings better, that's a big learning from this campaign.

"The players like they did today are the ones that drive our performance and I'm so grateful work with this player group.

"The way the team is playing, I believe, is inspiring our supporters, putting top teams under pressure and it should have led to victories. It didn't and that's what we're trying to work on.

"Coaches aren't too important and relevant in team performance at times.

"We learn game to game. I've never been more convinced. The New Zealand game was one of the best performances we've seen. The 20 minutes against Argentina doesn't change what the team did the week before. Of course we want it to be perfect - we have to be better when the opposition have their moments.

"The game the players are putting out there is a game that can take us to success, whether that's Six Nations or beyond.

"We've got to make sure what we're talking about here. I don't know if there's an entitlement around us beating the All Blacks and Argentina - these are top-quality teams.

"We have no right to beat any team. We have focused a lot on the last 20 minutes and that's something we have to improve on, but to look at it and go 'the other stuff isn't good and we have to do something different', I totally disagree."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Sione Tuipulotu made his Scotland debut four years ago against Tonga and says playing an opposition that means so much to him – his father is Tongan – has helped him refocus and move on after the disappointment of losing to Argentina last week.

"It's a massive game for me," said the Glasgow Warriors centre. "It feels like in one game I get to represent who I am.

"I think that's one of the things that have kind of centred me this week. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I wasn't hurting a lot. There's no one hurting more than the playing group.

"But just looking back at the last four years of my career has centred me a little bit and knowing how far I've come, to sit in front of you guys here as the captain.

"I think that the most important thing about being a captain is there's going to be really good times. A year ago I sat in front of you after we beat Australia.

"You feel amazing about yourself and you're probably the first one to get the pat on the back when you're sitting up here as the captain and I don't have any problem being the first one to cop the blame either.

"I think that's what the last week has showed me is that's what being a leader is. When it doesn't go right you're in the first line because ultimately you run the team out there and I didn't do a good enough job of that against Argentina. I'm not hiding away from that at all.

"So that thought of playing Tonga again, four years after my debut, is something that's really brought me back to centre, knowing how far I've come and how far the team's come as well."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

Head coach Gregor Townsend has been speaking at a tense media conference as Scotland prepare to face Tonga in the wake of losing a 21-0 lead against Argentina last weekend.

Here are the key lines:

• Does Townsend expect a review of the failures of the autumn against New Zealand and Argentina? "I don't know," he said. "We review every campaign, but you'd have to ask someone else on that."

• On the Murrayfield crowd booing after the loss to Argentina: "We sensed the disappointment in the crowd, it was like an exhale of disappointment and nobody's hurting as much as us as a group. But sometimes those real painful moments as a group that you live through, you come through stronger."

• Townsend says it has been "a big week of meetings, honesty, a real deep dive on how we could be better".

• He argued that the best of his side has been on show in sections of games in the autumn: "I've seen the team play the best rugby it's played in the eight years over the last two or three weeks…I do believe we've seen the best of the players throughout this campaign, up until the last 25 minutes."

• Townsend says there has been an increased demand for tickets for Sunday's game: "The supporters are coming out in huge numbers. We've actually had a spike after the game at the weekend and I don't think they were all from Tonga buying tickets."

• He stresses there is no acceptance of defeat among the players: "We have no right to beat every team in the world. But we believe we can. And I feel, and more than feel, I've seen how our team has gone up against the best teams in the world and be really disappointed not to have won, like New Zealand, like South Africa the year before."

• How does he explain the drop-off in performance mid-game against New Zealand and Argentina? "That's rugby, that's sport," he replied. "Look at New Zealand. During 20-30 minutes against us, they hardly touched the ball and were on their try line. Argentina, the first half, they were 21-0 down."

• He adds: "So that happens to the best teams. What we need to do, and what we spoke a lot about this week, is when that momentum does start to go in the favour of the opposition, we need to find a way to win it back."

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Former Scotland captain Rory Lawson says Gregor Townsend is still the right man to lead the national team despite overseeing a disappointing Autumn Nations Series.

After an 85-0 blowout victory against a weak USA side, the Scots were edged out by New Zealand before collapsing from 21-0 up to lose to Argentina.

Tonga are the visitors to Murrayfield for the final match of the series on Sunday.

Lawson, whose last international appearance was the infamous 2012 loss to Tonga at Pittodrie which led to the departure of then head coach Andy Robinson, told BBC Scotland: "Naturally the buck stops with the head coach.

"When you look at the recent win rate, it's not where anybody wants it to be and I think Gregor will be fully aware of that and he'll be incredibly disappointed.

"I always look at the good stuff and then the negative stuff and they typically tend to balance each other out in many ways.

"I think for Scotland, they had a lot of good against the All Blacks, didn't get the result. They did loads of good stuff against Argentina and then were blown away by a bench that came on for Argentina.

"I think for Gregor it's a short stint moving into the World Cup now. That'll come around really quickly and I believe with this group he is the right man to go forward."

BBC Sport Scotland's Andy Burke has been answering some of your questions after Scotland lost to Argentina before wrapping up the Autumn Nations Series against Tonga this weekend.

Scott asked: Realistically, is there even a chance Gregor Townsend goes before overseeing another World Cup?

Andy answered: I would be very surprised if Townsend departs in the immediate future. I expect him to still be in charge come the 2026 Six Nations.

Having handed Townsend a new contract just a few months ago, I'm not convinced there will be any appetite from those at the top of Scottish Rugby to make a change, perhaps in part for fear of that being taken as an admission they got it wrong in sticking with the head coach in the summer.

Nobody from Murrayfield is, on or off the record, giving anything away as to what the hierarchy make of what has been a disappointing Autumn Nations Series.

Another underwhelming Six Nations for Scotland may ultimately force their hand, though David Nucifora, the man who will presumably make the call, is famously not one to be swayed by public opinion.

Mark asked: Is it fair fans should vent their fury at Townsend or is this just part and parcel of the populist bashing era we now live in? Even Matt Williams with his abysmal record never received the same level of vitriol!

Andy answered: The fans who paid their money – a big chunk of change it is too – to watch the team at Murrayfield were perfectly entitled to voice their displeasure with the booing at full-time after the capitulation against Argentina.

Punters are also well within their rights to be critical of the man leading their national team, but what isn't acceptable is when that criticism steps over the line into personal abuse. Townsend is a good man who is fiercely passionate about Scottish rugby.

Many will feel he has been in the job too long, and I am one of them. What is deeply unfair is those who claim he has been a complete and utter failure.

Townsend's teams have produced moments and memories that deserve appreciation and respect. It just feels like his Scotland have hit their ceiling and it's time for a fresh voice.

Jack asked: Have Scotland ever done any work with sports psychologists? Seems like we are so mentally weak and that's what has let us down throughout the Townsend tenure. Has that ever been addressed?

Andy answered: Townsend has brought in a host of leading sports psychologists over the years to help with the mental side of the game, the latest being Jess Thom, the former competitive figure skater who was the British Olympic team's lead psychologist at the Paris Games in 2024.

Aaron Walsh, the experienced mental skills coach, worked with the team before that.

Several Scotland players have spoken about the positive influence these specialists have had on the group and on them as individual players.

So the work has gone in to try and resolve the mentality problems that seem to be a recurring issue, but it would seem there is still more work to be done.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland's failure to respond to momentum swings in Test matches "is not good enough", says assistant coach Peter Horne, who vows that lessons will be learned after Sunday's "devastating" loss to Argentina.

The Scots led 21-0 before a second-half capitulation allowed the Pumas to roar back for a 33-24 victory at Murrayfield.

It is not the first time Gregor Townsend's side have veered from domination to desperation. They romped into a 27-0 lead against Wales in the 2024 Six Nations, only to be left hanging on for a 27-26 victory.

In that same tournament, Scotland surrendered a 12-point lead to lose to Italy in Rome.

In this season's Six Nations, they led Wales 35-8 at Murrayfield but were given an almighty scare as the visitors fought back to 35-29.

"Because we've lost and the manner of the defeat, we've went into absolutely everything, and to a degree we were absolutely devastated after the game," said Horne.

"I think it's tough when you lose momentum in a Test match, it's difficult to wrestle it back. At club rugby, the swings are nowhere near the same.

"Argentina were excellent, but it's made us really look at what we need to be better at. When we lose momentum, it's not good enough the way we're responding to it, and we need to be able to find a solution to wrestle it back.

"We can't be shipping three, four, five tries - that's just not good enough. We had a look at the New Zealand game from the week before as well as coaches, and there was 20 minutes of that game where we were the opposite, we had that complete wave of momentum, we were killing them.

"They had some smart plays, a little bit of gamesmanship in there, but also we come back to we have to lean back in and solve problems as a team."

There's plenty for Andy Burke and Tom English to discuss after Scotland collapsed to defeat against Argentina at Murrayfield.

Gregor Townsend's future is in sharp focus and audience questions are answered by our resident rugby experts.

It's all on the latest episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast - give it a listen here.