Defiant Gregor Townsend says he's never contemplated stepping down as Scotland head coach

Defiant Gregor Townsend insisted he gave no consideration to stepping down as Scotland head coach as pressure intensified in the wake of Sunday’s astonishing collapse against Argentina.

The long-serving 52-year-old was handed a contract extension in September until the 2027 World Cup, but back-to-back losses against New Zealand and the Pumas have brought fresh scrutiny on his position.

Asked on Thursday if he still had the appetite to lead the Scots forward after the body-blow of squandering a 21-0 lead to lose 33-24 against Argentina, Townsend said: “Yes, even more so. Maybe you don’t believe me, but this week it was really important I felt something different in our review about the way the players came together with the coaches.

“It’s painful, Sunday night was painful. Going through that last 20 minutes on Monday was painful, but the failures and how you respond to them make you the team you can be. I’ve been really encouraged on how that’s played through this week.”

Townsend’s side have slipped from fifth in the world rankings at the start of the 2023 World Cup to ninth – overtaken by England, Fiji, Argentina and Australia – after struggling to win matches against the game’s heavyweights over the past two years.

Daily Record Homepage: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/

Daily Record Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheScottishDailyRecord
Daily Record Instagram: https://instagram.com/scottishdailyrecord
Daily Record Sport Instagram: https://instagram.com/dailyrecord_sport
Daily Record TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottishdailyrecord
Daily Record Sport TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailyrecord_sport
Daily Record Twitter: https://twitter.com/Daily_Record
Daily Record Newsletters: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/newsletter-preference-centre/

Join our WhatsApp communities here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages:

DAILY RECORD: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/join-daily-records-whatsapp-community-31116469

You can get all the latest news, sport, showbiz and comment at DailyRecord.co.uk

LIKE | COMMENT | SUBSCRIBE | SHARE
#DailyRecord #scotland #rugby #tonga

Видео Defiant Gregor Townsend says he's never contemplated stepping down as Scotland head coach канала Daily Record