Scotland’s Grand Slam hopes were short-lived after a second-round defeat to Wales, but head coach Gregor Townsend will still harbor ambitions of winning a first Six Nations title this year. The Scots have yet to hit top gear in the competition and they will need to in the coming games if they are to be involved in the title race come their trip to Dublin in the final round of this annual tournament.
One step forward, one step back
‘Consistency’ was the keyword for Scotland heading into this year, with the men in blue now at +2200 in the Six Nations odds 2022 to lift the trophy. Optimism grew for Scotland as they managed to record back-to-back wins over oldest rivals England for the first time since 1984. Townsend’s side was far from their best in the 20-17 victory at Murrayfield but it was enough to make an all-important winning start to the competition.
In all-too-familiar circumstances, Scotland failed to back up a big win as they found themselves on the wrong end of a 20-17 scoreline in round two against Wales. The Scots have a poor record in Cardiff, having not won in the Welsh capital since 2002, and the hoodoo was to continue against the men in red. Again, Scotland were inaccurate at times and issues with discipline were also costly as Wales fly-half Dan Biggar kicked his side to victory. It’s a result that will have stung all involved in the Scotland squad but with the nature of the Six Nations, they won’t have too long to feel sorry for themselves.
Opportunities to show real progress
Recent years have shown the Scots are capable of beating any team in Six Nations and they will still hold hope of finishing top of the pile this season. While Scotland have not won a title since the last Five Nations tournament back in 1999, this current Scottish squad gives the country their best chance of a trophy since the arrival of Italy into the competition. Eight players going on the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa last summer shows that Scotland has some of the best players in the northern hemisphere. It’s finding that consistency in performance that has been eluding Scotland and was once again on show in that defeat to Wales.
France head to Murrayfield looking to end what has been a tough run for them in Edinburgh, having not beaten the Scots in their own patch in the Six Nations since 2014. Les Bleus are the only team with a 100% winning record after the first two rounds of the competition and they will be brimming with confidence as they head to Murrayfield. Scotland know they can cause upsets against the French as they have done in the past, but it will require their best performance of the campaign so far.
With a victory over the French, Scotland can return to being serious title contenders. However, a defeat will leave Townsend’s side scrambling for consolation wins for the remainder of the championship.