Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has signaled a potential shake-up of his squad for the upcoming match against Australia, stating that "no player is undroppable" following the team's heavy defeat to New Zealand.
Scotland suffered a 43-21 loss to the All Blacks in a Nations Championship clash at Murrayfield, a match where Townsend noted several key players were not at their best. The coach acknowledged the team's performance was below par, characterized by inaccuracy and poor discipline, and that he is evaluating the balance between maintaining team cohesion and ensuring accountability.
"We weren’t good enough at the weekend. We were too inaccurate and our discipline also wasn’t good enough," Townsend said. "There are players who are disappointed with their own performances, but also the team’s performance as a whole."
Townsend indicated that players who have been performing well in training may be given an opportunity to prove themselves. He is weighing whether the same group of players would benefit from another chance or if changes are necessary to secure a win against Australia. The quick turnaround between matches, with an eight-day gap before facing Australia and then a six-day turnaround against Japan, also factors into his selection decisions.
"It’s an eight-day turnaround, so we have got an extra day’s recovery compared to Australia, and then we’re into a six-day turnaround against Japan," Townsend explained. "The New Zealand match reminded me again of how brutal Test match rugby can be. It’s like you can actually hear the hits. To get the same 15 all four weeks in a row is going to be very tough. So players will get opportunities. It’s just whether it happens next week, we’ll wait and see."
Regarding fly-half Finn Russell, who had a mixed performance, Townsend stated that while Russell has been a consistent performer for Scotland, his display against New Zealand was not his best. Townsend expects Russell to be motivated to rectify this in the next match.
Townsend emphasized the importance of the upcoming game against Australia, describing it as a must-win if Scotland aims to finish in the top three of the Nations Championship. He cautioned that the team's performance against New Zealand would not be sufficient to defeat Australia, a team he expects to be dangerous with several key players fit and available.
"Yeah, it’s a game we need to win," Townsend added. "Obviously we’ll get a game in the final weekend (come what may), but we want to win. We’re playing at home. We definitely want to be better than we showed against New Zealand. But if we want to finish in the top three, then we’ve clearly got to win our next two games."
Townsend highlighted that Australia possesses a strong squad and has been building cohesion through recent Test matches against teams like England, the All Blacks, South Africa, and Argentina. He concluded by reiterating the need for a significantly improved performance from Scotland to secure victory.