Rory Darge says he’s sick of reflecting on defeats – and admits Scotland owe their fans a big performance in this weekend’s crunch Calcutta Cup clash with England.
Gregor Townsend’s future as head coach is under the spotlight again after Saturday’s crushing Six Nations defeat to Italy, which will see the Scots drop to tenth in the world rankings.
It’s a second successive reverse in Rome, following a similar outcome there in 2024, and follows on from losses last year to England, Ireland, France, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina.
Darge admitted the repeated doses of disappointment are weighing heavy on the players’ minds as the post-mortem began on the latest setback.
The Glasgow flanker said: ‘We are sick of being here and having these conversations. I thought Italy were obviously great and deserved the win and we need to really reflect on why that happened.
‘There are parts of it that must be focus, there are parts of it that must be concentration, but it’s hard to really put your finger on it.
Rory Darge admits that repeated disappointments are weighing heavy on the players’ minds
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend was defiant after his team’s 18-15 defeat in Rome
‘As individuals we have to look at that and think why that happened, and firstly, reflect on ourselves. I know I will be. It will be uncomfortable and rightly so. We felt we were well prepared but it just didn’t go well.
‘That is the frustrating part about it – it’s happened more than once. We know, as players, we have to look at ourselves and can’t let it happen again. We just have to be better.
‘This will hurt, and rightly so, and we should sit on this for a little bit before we move on to England. But that’s obviously a massive game, one that everyone wants to be a part of at Murrayfield. Next week we’ve got an opportunity to go out and go again.’
This is a situation that ought to have Townsend fearing for his job but there is little sign that his bosses at Scottish Rugby are minded to take action even after this latest embarrassment.
Fans took to social media and rugby forums over the weekend to call for change, and Darge admitted the players are aware of the prevailing mood.
He added: ‘I’ve not got social media myself but we’re kind of aware there’s noise in the background. There will be and, you know, it’s the same for the players. I’m sure there’s noise about us. It’s part of the game. All we can focus on is what we do and how we react.’
Darge praised the large travelling support who made their voices heard at the Stadio Olimpico as the rain tumbled down relentlessly and Italy racked up another pivotal victory.
The former Scotland captain admitted the players had let the fans down with another substandard performance and hoped to repay them with a better effort on Saturday against England.
He added: ‘We felt we owed the fans something on Saturday and it’s frustrating that we didn’t do that.
‘On the way into the stadium, we saw so many supporters who had travelled out to Rome and we know what that cost is, and how much it means to them. We wanted to have a reaction and we’re gutted that we didn’t.
‘I want to say thanks for the support that they have shown. I think it was outstanding at the weekend. Even at the end of the game we were going around the stands and seeing the Scotland flags waving and people shouting over. We’ve just got to do what we can to show something for them next week.’
Townsend showed less contrition after Saturday’s match as he vowed to struggle on after this latest defeat.
He did admit losing the opening game of the tournament was a setback but praised his players for their efforts.
The embattled head coach said: ‘Look, losing against Italy, it’s happened before. But losing your first game of the championship is tough for everyone.
‘We’ve done very well in recent championships with our starts, whether it’s the first game or the second game. This is a blow. It’s clearly a blow that we didn’t get the win.
Tommaso Menoncello scores Italy’s second try in a win that got their campaign off to a flyer
‘Even though we’ve got this huge game next week ahead of us, which is always a standalone game, it’s on the back of a defeat. So, yes, it’s tough for everybody right now.
‘I’m hugely proud of the effort at the end. I know what we’ve been working on and how it was coming out in training.
‘It was disappointing that we allowed Italy to start ahead on the scoreboard. I was completely calm with how our players would respond to that.
‘The weather, unfortunately, limited what we could do. But to give them that start made it very difficult.’
Asked whether he felt every head coach had a shelf life and he had perhaps been in situ too long after nine years, he refused to yield.
‘I think (the media) can choose what narrative to write. Whether people think coaches are doing a good job and they’re there longer, or whether it’s time for change. You guys can choose (to write) that.’