Comment: The ‘line in the sand’ moment that changed ‘airtight’ Scotland as Gregor Townsend silences doubters
Scotland were deserved winners over France in the Six Nations on Saturday.
In Scotland’s brightest moment Gregor Townsend returned to his darkest hour, to the game which for three months had been used as a stick to beat him with.
As all around him supporters danced with joy and captain Sione Tuipulotu spoke of the players having done it for the coach, Townsend retraced the roots of this epic success.
Back from Saturday’s astonishing 50-40 scoreline, which killed France‘s Grand Slam dream and makes both the championship and Triple Crown possible for Scotland, to the day the same group were branded bottlers and written off as a lost cause.
Argentina nightmare
Townsend pinpointed that November afternoon and how his side coughed up a 21-0 lead to Argentina on the same patch of Murrayfield turf, conceding five tries in the last 24 minutes with catastrophic consequences.
“It was a line in the sand,” he said. “We had to face some truths. While it was really painful for us as a group – coaches, players and supporters – to lose that game, we’ve been a different team since then.
“You need those painful moments, those defeats, to make you the team you’re going to be.”
Until Saturday, what Scotland had never been was a team that put 50 points on France. They had not won a Six Nations, not even a Triple Crown. Only once had they strung together three championship victories.
They were a rugby country damned with faint praise, credited for battering England but in the same breath condemned for only being able to get their act together against their bitterest of rivals.
Given the talent currently at their disposal the criticism was fair and Townsend took it on the chin, cheap shots and all. He didn’t reach for excuses, didn’t lash out at his detractors.
The Argentina choke led to calls for his head but he went back to work, convinced that, to borrow from Emmylou Harris, the darkest hour is just before the dawn.
“We stuck together when times were tough,” Tuipulotu confirmed. “We have an airtight changing room that believes in each other and believes in its coaching staff.
“We rallied behind our coach and I couldn’t be happier for him. It’s tough to put into words. Things were up against him after the first week [losing to Italy].”
To fully understand the mood within the playing group at that time it is instructive to listen to John Barclay, Scotland’s former captain.
“There seems to be a bristliness, a real spiky, pissed off edge to the players; a chip-on-the-shoulder level of frustration,” he told me at the time.
Behind closed doors, that was what Townsend managed to harness. England felt the full force in round two but it was what happened an hour into their game in Wales that told Townsend he was on the right track.
Scotland trailed by 11 points to a team without a Six Nations win in three years. A week on from thrashing England it was all too predictable, what football fans would call ‘Spursy’.
As knives were sharpened Scotland rallied. Finn Russell’s quick thinking sensationally conjured a try for Darcy Graham direct from a restart and they didn’t look back.
“Success leaves you clues,” said Townsend.
So it was Scotland took the lessons of what worked and what didn’t in those two wins and developed, then executed an audacious plan even France could not live with.
“Our game is built to create quick ball and put some of the best strike players in the game into space,” Townsend explained after his side shredded the champions, scoring seven tries.
It was a gameplan constructed around bravery; on risk for reward. Pretty much every time Scotland had a kickable penalty, they traded up the certainty of three points for seven.
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Graham’s first try came from a quickly tapped free kick, Kyle Steyn’s first from a penalty lineout. Ben White sniped his way over after a shot at the posts had been rejected, Graham bagged his second after Russell again opted to put it in the corner.
An hour in and Scotland had made eight visits to the French 22 and come away with 40 points. Contrast that to 14 points for France from six incursions of their own.
Against England the Scots rampaged to a bonus point in 53 minutes and that was mighty impressive. Here they had their fourth try four minutes after half-time.
“The mindset was to keep attacking,” Townsend said. “A lot of teams would sit on that lead against France, but we knew the best way of winning was keep doing what got us the success.”
France were so discombobulated Antoine Dupont, of all people, threw a forward pass behind his own try line and Louis Bielle-Biarrey put one of his trademark chips straight into touch.
Their discipline, such a feature of the first three rounds, failed them, with 10 penalties conceded to four by Scotland. So too their defence. Shaun Edwards will not look kindly on 33 missed tackles.
“The message from the coaches at half-time [when Scotland led 19-14] was ‘don’t rest on that’,” player of the match Steyn said. “‘You have to come out and fire first. You can’t let this outfit get their tails up and get momentum’.”
How Toonie’s troops delivered for him. Between minutes 44 and 63 Scotland plundered four tries. All week they had prepared in training to create ‘chaos’. The strategy worked a treat.
Their only regret will be leaving the back door open to allow France a losing bonus point in the dying moments. In bigger picture terms, that could yet prove decisive.
Watching from the BBC gantry was Martin Johnson, Townsend’s captain on the triumphant 1997 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.
Stressful field
Before the game he had spoken of the pressure on international coaches, something he knows only too well about from his time as England boss.
“If you want to play international sport, have an easy life and sleep through the night, you’re in the wrong job,” he said. “It’s stressful by definition.”
Townsend would echo that. Just perhaps not this weekend. Not with his team level on points with France at the top of the table.
Win in Ireland next week and, at the very least, Scotland will claim a first Triple Crown in the Six Nations era.
“I feel great for Gregor,” Johnson said. “People were talking about him losing his job. They’re not talking about that now.”
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