Six Nations trophy finally arrives in Edinburgh… just don’t expect it to stay there as Gregor Townsend says his Scotland team aren’t considered challengers

It took Scotland hosting the tournament launch for the Six Nations trophy to finally make it to Edinburgh for what you suspect will be the first and only time this year.

Like with most major events nowadays, this was a glitzy affair held inside The Hub, the converted church on the Royal Mile that sits just a spiralling Finn Russell 50:22 kick away from the city’s famous castle.

Now used primarily as the ticket office for the Edinburgh Festival, it welcomed performers of a different type yesterday as the head coaches and captains from all six participating countries were wheeled in to speak to the gathered broadcasters, print journalists and the now ubiquitous digital influencers.

It was evidently a chore to be endured rather than enjoyed for those in the firing line who would probably much rather have been out on the training ground with their players or team-mates with the tournament set to get underway in under 10 days’ time.

Still, at least for the Scotland pairing of Gregor Townsend and Sione Tuipulotu the travel to get to the launch venue was a lot less arduous than has been the case in previous years.

‘The biggest thing I’ve learnt is how great it is to finally have the launch in Edinburgh,’ said Townsend as he prepares to lead Scotland into the competition for a ninth time. ‘It’s definitely made me more relaxed.’

Whether the head coach is just as calm come Scotland’s opening game away to Italy a week on Saturday remains to be seen. 

His team’s ongoing struggles throughout 2025, including the embarrassing capitulation to Argentina in the autumn, have at least had the effect of diminishing any expectation that Scotland could be Six Nations contenders.

If Townsend’s team had entered previous editions as ‘dark horses’ or ‘ones to watch’ then there are few making those kinds of noises now of a team more likely to be scrapping it out towards the bottom with Italy and Wales than challenging Ireland, England and France for the title.

Townsend denied his team had ever been seen as serious title aspirants in years gone by and said his team would simply plough their own furrow, shutting out outside noise and expectations, while leaning into Glasgow Warriors’ imperious form and hoping it somehow rubs off on the national team.

‘I wouldn’t have thought people would have talked about us like that [as challengers] before either,’ he insisted. 

‘It wouldn’t really be a factor. I can’t speak on behalf of the players whether they would have read into it now or read into it before. We have started tournaments well by really putting the focus on ourselves. We have to do that again.

‘I think I understand the flow of the tournament [better now]. The first two or three campaigns, we didn’t win our first game. We struggled to win away. We struggled to beat England. We’ve learnt the things that have worked for us in those games and tournaments. 

‘How the players now will lead and drive a lot of who we are. Because those players have had a lot of experience together.

‘The core of our group have had the last three or four seasons together. You build on elements of cohesion that you can find. There’s cohesion obviously with how Glasgow are playing, and you look at you can help your preparations by building on what they are doing.

‘Whether that’s through selection or building on things that they’ve done. We don’t have to reinvent things when they come in here. And then just the power of conversations.

‘They’re all in together, talking our language, focused on the next six weeks of their lives. To give everything they can. In training, in games, to help their team-mates when they’re not selected. That’s all we ask of our players.’

The furore surrounding Townsend’s decision to take on a second job with Red Bull last summer – a move sanctioned by Scottish Rugby – may have died down but it remains a live issue.

Only last week it was revealed that Gavin Vaughan, the Scotland national team lead analyst and a long-time trusted Townsend ally, will depart in the summer for a similar role with Newcastle Red Bulls. 

Townsend claimed that hadn’t been his decision but, as the saying goes, the optics don’t look great.

‘They [Newcastle] told me that they’ve interviewed two or three people,’ he added. ‘One was a clear candidate. 

‘Then it was down for Gav to deal with Scottish Rugby. If someone wants to go for another job, then you wish them all the best. 

‘Gav is going into a different role, something he was really passionate about. Teams move on. I’m sure we’ll have other changes in groups as we go on.

‘He’s not gone yet. He’s going to be here the whole Six Nations. I think it’s important that Gav is part of a successful Six Nations squad. He’s been someone that I’ve worked with very closely for a number of years.’

More pressing for Townsend is a potential hooker crisis with neither Dave Cherry nor Ewan Ashman fit enough to play for their respective clubs at the weekend. Gregor Hiddleston at Glasgow would seem the next cab off the rank if need be but Townsend was hopeful his original picks would recover in time for the trip to Rome.

‘Dave had a little calf strain,’ he revealed. ‘He’s had a scan and nothing came out of it. I think he’s going to have further investigation today, but he’s confident he’ll be okay. I do think it was more precautionary from Vannes.

‘Ewan had a couple of scans last week, with no issues [identified]. I think he was 50-50 to play in the game at the weekend, but he’ll be someone we can manage this week. 

‘We don’t have any concerns after this week, but we might have to do something different with our training numbers this week.

‘It’s obviously important we get the preparation right. We’ll know more tonight about both those players, whether they can train on Tuesday or Wednesday.’