Scotland are all at sea and it’s all Gregor Townsend’s fault. I’m staggered by his daft, naive dalliance with Newcastle – it is unthinkable and unworkable and he’s made their Six Nations a circus
Coaching in international rugby is so all-consuming, full-on and downright demanding that it must have 100 per cent of your focus. Indeed, it often takes far more than that!
The job can distract you from personal matters, from family life. But sometimes, that’s what excellence demands: Total commitment.
Which brings me to Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend. I like Gregor as a player and coach but I cannot believe he has put himself in this position. He’s under serious pressure after his team’s loss to Italy, but the heat is about far more than that. Taking a consultancy role with Red Bull, and his likely impending appointment as coach of Red Bull-owned Newcastle, is him shooting himself in the foot. It staggers me he’s allowed it and does not see the potential conflict and ramifications.
Both Townsend and senior figures at the Scottish Rugby Union have huge questions to answer. To get it right on the field, you have to get it right off it. That’s what England, who come to Murrayfield on Saturday on the back of a 12-game winning run, are doing. As coach and captain, Steve Borthwick and Maro Itoje are handling their roles brilliantly. The whole England setup looks in a very good place.
The contrast with Scotland is huge. It’s no coincidence that since Townsend confirmed his Red Bull role, Scotland’s form has dipped. Their autumn capitulation to Argentina told me something was wrong and then Saturday’s loss in Rome was more than disappointing.
Any coach will get criticism if they’re not winning. But Townsend has opened the door to it and allowed his Red Bull role to become a distraction.
How can Gregor Townsend possibly juggle being Scotland head coach and preparing to take charge at Newcastle?
Italy celebrate victory over Scotland on Saturday – a surprise result but one that will happen if you take your eye off the ball
Scotland are a good side – not great – but one capable of beating the best on their day. Yet, Townsend hasn’t been able to get this ‘golden generation’ close to competing for the Six Nations. Now, despite that, he has allowed himself to have one eye on other projects.
I like Townsend but he is absolutely at fault here. He’s been so daft. Equally, the SRU chief executive, Alex Williamson, and performance guru, David Nucifora, have a pretty poor grasp of international rugby by allowing it. They should have said to Townsend: ‘If you want to work with Red Bull, go but there’s no way you can do that and be Scotland coach. Make a choice.’
They’ve allowed Townsend to walk all over them. I am surprised at Nucifora given his experience and the fine work he did with Ireland.
Townsend has insisted he’s not signed a contract to join Newcastle and that his Red Bull role is only a handful of days a month. But the direction of travel towards Kingston Park seems clear. Why else, for example, would Scotland’s head analyst Gavin Vaughan also be moving to Newcastle?
Vaughan has worked alongside Townsend his whole career. How can Townsend and Vaughan stand in front of the Scottish squad and urge them to give everything this week when they already have their eye on other projects?
As a leader, you must have the full respect of those working underneath you. But that comes from the quality of your actions, not just because you’re the boss.
There are strong characters in this Scotland squad. I wonder what the likes of Finn Russell think of it. Russell and Townsend haven’t always got on, so I can’t imagine the No 10 is seeing anything positive about this circus.
Team harmony is everything. I remember Steven Gerrard last year saying Sven-Goran Eriksson’s ‘golden generation’ of England footballers did not get on. ‘We weren’t a team,’ the former Liverpool captain said. ‘We weren’t friendly or connected. We were a group of individuals with talent. I hated it.’
Townsend has insisted he’s not signed a contract to join Newcastle and that his Red Bull role is only a handful of days a month. But the direction of travel towards Kingston Park seems clear
Italy’s Tommaso Menoncello scores their second try as Scotland are humiliated in Rome
As an England fan I was surprised and disappointed. But his words show how important a good culture is.
I can’t imagine Scotland’s is a happy camp right now. Townsend doesn’t strike me as an idiot, but he has allowed this to unfold in the glare of the media. He’s been naïve to think working with Red Bull and Newcastle links wouldn’t have an impact on his ability to coach the team.
The moment I read about it, I thought it would cause Scotland problems. And it is. I would never have considered doing it. Working with another team while coaching England? Frankly unthinkable and unworkable. Ahead of the 2003 World Cup, I signed a new contract as England coach on the day we boarded the plane for Australia.
I wanted to send a message to the players that whatever happened at the tournament, I was committed. I also told the players that if any of them mentioned retiring after the World Cup, they wouldn’t be going. I wanted total focus. It is the only way to achieve success.
I worked as a director of sport across three Olympic Games. The dedication of top athletes such as Sir Chris Hoy and Rebecca Adlington was absolute. That is how you get your rewards. Not by courting work or having your attention elsewhere.
Townsend would argue – and I’m sure he did to Williamson – that working with Red Bull and access to their wider sporting network will help him improve Scotland. That’s hugely over-exaggerated. It’s interesting to look at other sports and I visited NFL teams in my time as a coach, but I didn’t learn anything fundamentally new.
Losing to Italy was a disaster for Townsend. Even in such wet conditions, they should have won and they were very poor. I said ahead of this Six Nations that the Scotland game would be huge for England. It still is and, of course, Scotland could turn things around.
Next up for Scotland is England and I can only see one winner now after Townsend’s naive behaviour
It’s highly possible that if England win well this weekend, Townsend could leave midway through the Six Nations
In Franco Smith, of the Glasgow Warriors, Scotland have a ready-made replacement for Townsend
If Scotland win, then some – not all – of the criticism on Townsend will relent. But, I can’t see that happening now. England will be heading to Edinburgh with a confident swagger, and I loved George Ford saying after the hammering of Wales that they need to put their chests out in Scotland and be brave.
Scotland, meanwhile, are all at sea and it’s all of Townsend’s and the SRU’s making. It’s highly possible that if England win well this weekend, Townsend could leave midway through the Six Nations. In Franco Smith, Scotland have a ready-made replacement.
As soon as Townsend started a dalliance with Red Bull and Newcastle, he risked losing concentration and disaster. Italy was that disaster and England could make it even more harrowing this weekend.
The worst thing for Scotland and Townsend is this could all so easily have been avoided.
