I believe in what we’re doing, says defiant Townsend

Head coach Gregor Townsend insists he is still the man to lead Scotland despite a hugely dispiriting 18-15 defeat by Italy in their Six Nations opener.

Townsend was already under pressure after autumn losses against both Argentina and New Zealand, and the below-par performance in a sodden Stadio Olimpico will only increase the speculation surrounding his future.

Scotland went 12 points behind after stumbling out of the blocks and they were unable to overhaul that deficit as their scrum and lineout both malfunctioned badly.

Before the Italy match, the former fly-half – who is contracted as head coach until the end of the 2027 World Cup – dismissed a report that he has agreed to take over at Newcastle Red Bulls after the World Cup as “pure speculation”.

He was asked again after the full-time whistle in Rome if he remains confident in his ability to lead the national team, starting next Saturday against England at Murrayfield.

“Yeah, of course,” he said. “I believe in the players, I believe in what we’re doing. It didn’t happen and we’ve got to make sure it happens next week.”

Townsend acknowledges that speculation is inevitable given the result, but was able to take some positives from the performance.

“That’s par for the course if you’re a coach,” he said when asked if pressure will ramp up before the Calcutta Cup. “No-one is more disappointed than me and the players.

“Of course there will be criticism for the result and the performance, but I’m with my team.

“I was hugely proud of the effort they put in at the end trying to find a way to win. It was really tough and we know we have to be better than that first 20 minutes.”

Needing a penalty for a draw or a try for a win, Scotland went through 29 phases before replacement lock Max Williamson was held up in contact to end the contest.

Former Grand Slam-winning Irish fly-half Ronan O’Gara says if Townsend’s side had shown that level of fight for the entire game, they would not have been left needing a last-gasp miracle.

“Italy were the better team on reflection for the 80 minutes but you just got a glimpse of what Scotland stood for in the last two minutes of the game,” he said.

“If they had played like that for 80 minutes, it wouldn’t have been a contest.

With torrential rain falling throughout, handling errors were a theme for both sides, but Italy’s clinical edge in the opening stages and their superior set-piece proved to be the difference.

Scotland’s starting hooker Ewan Ashman had a torrid time at the lineout, with Scotland losing five of their own throws.

The new-look back three of Glasgow wingers Jamie Dobie and Kyle Steyn – and makeshift full-back Tom Jordan – were left wanting for both Italy tries.

Far too much space was left for Louis Lynagh’s opening score before the Benetton winger beat Dobie in the air moments before Tommaso Menoncello raced over in the other corner.

“Obviously, the guys are very disappointed,” Townsend added. “The effort was there. A lot of what we trained was in place. We just gave away too many possessions.

“We just weren’t able to score more points in the first half. It was extremely difficult the second half but the effort the players put in was tremendous just not enough to win the game.

“We shouldn’t have let them get ahead. They got a couple of breakaway tries. We had opportunities we didn’t take and then it made it tough after that.”

Despite the almost impossible conditions, BBC pundits unanimously agreed Italy dealt with them better.

“Both teams were playing in the same conditions,” former Scotland captain John Barclay said.

“The key moments in the game, Italy got on the right side of those.”

“Italy’s start gave them the win,” former England skipper Martin Johnson agreed.