Ex-Scotland star sets Gregor Townsend ultimatum as sacking would become a ‘necessity’
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend and former captain John Barclay.
Former Scotland back-row John Barclay insists that failure to finish in the top-half of the Six Nations should signal the end of Gregor Townsend’s reign.
The 52-year-old finds himself under severe pressure following the Scots’ 18-15 defeat to Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Saturday.
It was a dreadful start to the Six Nations for Scotland, which followed their disappointing November series that included defeats to the All Blacks and Argentina.
Under Townsend, they have promised much but delivered very little and the loss to the Azzurri suggests that they are in for another disappointing campaign.
Tougher fixtures to come
With games against England, France and Ireland still to come, it will be tough to recover from that opening round reversal.
Supporters have become increasingly frustrated with Scotland’s performances and results, and Barclay believes that another poor Six Nations should leave the Scottish Rugby Union with little option but to wield the axe.
“I thought before the Six Nations Scotland have to finish third or above, so that would be the best they’ve finished under Gregor Townsend,” he told BBC Sport.
“If they finish above third in second, it’s the best ever in the Six Nations, and then I think Gregor stays.
“If they don’t finish in that position, which is now going to be really hard if you look at the fixtures. We’re only one game in so I don’t want to get too far ahead.
“If they don’t finish in that top three, I think it doesn’t become an option, I think it becomes a necessity to see a change.”
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No excuses
Townsend talked up the Scotland squad before Saturday’s game in Rome, with Glasgow Warriors in fine form under Franco Smith and the country having a healthy British and Irish Lions representation in Australia.
The Scots therefore have no excuses to finally start delivering, but they have already put themselves on the back foot ahead of the Calcutta Cup clash.
“We’ve talked about this, it is a good group of players. You’ve got Glasgow who are second seed in Europe, top of the URC,” Barclay added.
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“You’ve got a full list of players to pick from, all these reasons that Gregor Townsend talks about – these are not my words, these are the facts of it.
“If you’re not seeing improvement in performance and on the table then at some point maybe there’s an option for a change, and that might be the best thing for Gregor, it might be the best thing for Scotland and it might be the best thing for Franco Smith, who’s coaching at Glasgow.”
READ MORE: ‘Well, I want to be’ – Gregor Townsend addresses Scotland future as pressure mounts
