If not now, then when? The stakes are never low in the Six Nations but for Scotland and Gregor Townsend the 2026 championship feels more loaded with significance than most.
Under the tutelage of the 52-year-old head coach, the many disappointments of recent campaigns have been met with an assurance that there is potential for success in this squad. Between now and mid-March would be a handy time to prove it.
Scotland have lost 11 consecutive matches against Ireland, for instance, and have finished fourth in five of eight tournaments under Townsend. They were unfortunate to be drawn with South Africa and Ireland at the last Rugby World Cup, but luck should not come into it now, especially considering the time he has had to build as he approaches a decade in the post.
The squad is largely injury-free, table-topping Glasgow are lighting up the United Rugby Championship and the Champions Cup, and the 28-year-old centre Sione Tuipulotu is visibly growing into the captain’s role.
Townsend insists the calamitous Murrayfield defeat by Argentina in November, when they led 21-0 but finally lost 33-24, was a “line in the sand moment”.
As a former England coach with a talent for one-liners would have put it, Scotland appear to have a few grenades in the back of the Jeep. If they happen to go off against Italy in Rome on Saturday, it would instantly generate a familiarly downbeat feeling among fans. From a personal perspective the stakes were raised further for Townsend when he was forced to address a report he has agreed to take over at Newcastle after next year’s Rugby World Cup, denying he had signed any contract.
He accepted a part-time consultancy role with the Prem club last year, and insisted after the capitulation against Argentina that it would improve him as a coach rather than distract from the task at hand.
With Ireland on a downward trajectory and Wales at a low ebb, this looks an invaluable chance at least to compete for the title. France and England will have something to say about that, although both must visit Murrayfield in the coming weeks.
But first things first. Townsend has selected nine Glasgow players in his starting XV at the Stadio Olimpico – in December the Warriors staged their own spectacular comeback, recovering from 21-0 down against Toulouse to triumph 28-21. Blair Kinghorn, Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham, stalwarts of the side, have been dropped. Tom Jordan, of Bristol, is at full-back, with Jamie Dobie and Kyle Steyn preferred on the wings.
Cumulatively, Townsend’s side have 671 Test caps, 96 more than the Azzurri, but how best to balance the value of experience against the toll that time inevitably takes on older players? At 35, the Edinburgh second-row, Grant Gilchrist, is arguably not the kind of dynamic operator capable of firing the Scottish engine room to glory. Speaking to media this week, however, Townsend was having none of it.
“Grant is underrated by a lot of people,” he said. “His performances are outstanding. He goes up against the All Blacks [in November], puts on a wonderful performance and people say: ‘Why are we not picking a younger guy?’ Grant is delivering.
“We shouldn’t be saying: ‘Oh, he’s 35, let’s move on.’ No, World Cup-winning teams, if you look at the South Africans and teams that have done well, a lot of those guys are 34, 35 and appreciated for what they do.”
Italy, meanwhile, are ravaged by injuries: Ange Capuozzo, Tommaso Allan, Ross Vintcent, Gianmarco Lucchesi and Sebastian Negri are all out, not to mention the scrum-halves Martin Page-Relo and Stephen Varney. On the other hand, Michele Lamaro, Juan Ignacio Brex and Paolo Garbisi are poised for their 50th caps. Injury crisis or not, the impressive head coach, Gonzalo Quesada, has Italy looking up: but for Townsend and his talented team defeat in Rome is not an option.
Meanwhile, Andy Farrell is confident Ireland can keep pace with Test rugby’s leading sides as he prepares to conduct a frank postmortem into a resounding 36-14 opening-night loss to reigning champions France.
Farrell’s side were outclassed during Thursday evening’s one-sided tournament opener in Paris on the back of comprehensive autumn defeats by New Zealand and world champions South Africa. Ireland, who are hindered by a substantial injury list amid a period of transition, also suffered an emphatic 42-27 loss to Les Bleus last year in Dublin en route to surrendering the championship title.
Asked if he is optimistic Ireland can close what appears to be a growing gap to the top teams, head coach Farrell replied: “I am because I know the people that we’ve got, the good people that we’ve got, the good players that are here but who are at home as well. I know there is a determined group to make sure that we are constantly up there at the top of world rugby to be able to compete, and that will always be the case.”
Farrell accused his players of lacking intent during a dismal first-half display at Stade de France which culminated in a 22-0 deficit following tries from Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Matthieu Jalibert and Charles Ollivon. Bielle-Biarrey’s second of the evening increased the hosts’ advantage before Theo Attissogbe added further punishment late on after consolation efforts from Ireland replacements Nick Timoney and Michael Milne.
“We have to [regroup] otherwise the disappointment stands for absolutely zero,” said Farrell, whose side host Italy next Saturday. “We have to be honest with each other and say it as it is and roll up to work next week and make sure that this stands for something. We need to use it to make sure we give a better showing of ourselves throughout the rest of the competition, starting with Italy next week. You cannot play the game at this level without having the right intention. It’s an absolute must and it’s the first thing that has to be down on the list to make sure that it’s delivered every single time we take the field.”
Ireland at one stage looked in danger of suffering a record defeat by France and potentially being nilled in the process before ultimately drawing the second half 14-14. Their captain, Caelan Doris, said: “The bench made a good impact. There was some good resolve in the second half but we don’t want to be a team that’s chasing.
“We left ourselves too big a mountain to climb, and that’s down to some passiveness in D [defence], not being connected, not being dominant in collisions, allowing them to flourish with keeping the ball alive in attack. It was Faz [Farrell] who mainly spoke [at full-time], about coming back into work with an opinion. It doesn’t start at zero. There are some good lessons to learn in that, there was a lot of good stuff in the prep. We’re going to have a deep dive into how we can make that better.”