Is There 'entitlement' Around Scotland Or Has Townsend Misjudged Criticism?

After a one-sided beating of a typically ill-disciplined Tonga astatine Murrayfield, Gregor Townsend was heavy wrong Murrayfield delivering his verdict astir nan Autumn Nations run arsenic a whole.

The Scotland caput coach has had to section each mode of criticisms and questions successful nan aftermath of nan final-quarter meltdown against Argentina 1 week ago, and has mostly dealt pinch them successful a cool, composed manner.

But Townsend intelligibly feels that nan flak he has received - aft his broadside fto gaffe a aureate opportunity to hit nan All Blacks and a 21-0 lead against nan Pumas - has been unfair.

"We've sewage to make judge what we're talking astir here," Townsend said to BBC Sport Scotland aft nan 56-0 triumph complete nan Tongans.

"I don't cognize if there's an entitlement astir america beating nan All Blacks and Argentina - these are top-quality teams. We person nary correct to hit immoderate team.

"We person focused a batch connected nan past 20 minutes and that's thing we person to amended on, but to look astatine it and spell 'the different worldly isn't bully and we person to do thing different', I wholly disagree."

There has been a misunderstanding successful immoderate quarters, and seemingly from Townsend himself, astir nan quality of overmuch of nan disapproval astir nan 33-24 conclusion to Argentina.

"Entitlement" is not thing that tends to beryllium associated pinch followers of Scottish rugby, for nan elemental logic they person been fixed thing to consciousness entitled about.

The vexation comes from seeing a squad performing incredibly good – arsenic Scotland did to carve retired that 21-0 lead – only to nosedive beyond recognition. And seeing it hap again and again and again.

There is simply a weariness to nan full thing, and arsenic overmuch arsenic Scotland did what they had to do against a beingness Tonga broadside connected Sunday, it was ne'er going to erase nan symptom of nan missed opportunities that came successful nan weeks before.

Two wins from four, against nan United States and Tonga – 2 sides wholly outgunned astatine rugby's apical array – was ne'er going to create nan consciousness of guardant momentum this broadside needed heading into nan Six Nations.

The harm from those excruciating defeats to nan All Blacks and nan Pumas will return a spot of getting over, and skipper Sione Tuipulotu was not entertaining immoderate invitations to group his broadside immoderate targets for nan Six Nations.

"I'm benignant of tired of sitting up present and promising what we're going to do," Tuipulotu said. "I deliberation a large attraction is getting into tip-top shape going into that Six Nations.

"I'm not going to springiness you guys headlines astir really we're promising this and promising that, conscionable for you guys to create a header and move your backmost connected us.

"We've sewage to regroup and we're nan guys successful nan changing room that person sewage to yet get complete nan hump. That's nan only point I attraction astir is what's said successful nan changing room and not what's said connected nan stage."

Tuipulotu is 1 of nan game's awesome communicators, an unfailingly humble and polite man, and for him to travel retired arsenic powerfully arsenic he did was not a broadside we person seen from him before.

But possibly that's what this Scottish broadside needs – a siege mentality. Maybe nan "us against nan world" mantra is thing that tin thrust nan squad connected towards nan heights that they person truthful acold been incapable to get to.

Maybe that is wishful thinking, but what's clear is that Scotland will spell into nan Six Nations shed of nan benignant of anticipation they person had to transportation successful caller seasons.

While Townsend's position continues to inhabit overmuch of nan file inches and air-time, nan man himself is definite successful his belief that he tin lead this squad to nan benignant of occurrence nan fans crave.

"I've ne'er been much convinced," he said. "The New Zealand crippled was 1 of nan champion performances we've seen.

"The 20 minutes against Argentina doesn't alteration what nan squad did nan week before. Of people we want it to beryllium cleanable - we person to beryllium amended erstwhile nan guidance person their moments.

"The crippled nan players are putting retired location is simply a crippled that tin return america to success, whether that's Six Nations aliases beyond."