Scotland’s shock Six Nations defeat to Italy prompted a forensic and often brutal assessment from the Virgin Media Sport panel after full-time on Irish television, with the panel of three former Ireland internationals leading the criticism of the coaching set-up and selection calls.
Pressure continues to mount on Gregor Townsend as Scotland slumped to a disastrous 18-15 loss to Italy in rain-lashed Rome. The Azzurri surged 12 points clear early and never lost control as Scotland’s reshuffled back three misfired and their set-piece creaked throughout.
Despite late pressure and a missed conversion chance, the visitors rarely looked like rescuing a win. Italy’s deserved victory at the Stadio Olimpico left Scotland facing immediate scrutiny, with a Murrayfield clash against England now looming large.
Shane Horgan questioned whether Scotland are making the most of what is widely regarded as a golden generation of players.
“Everybody talks about this golden generation of rugby talent, with more coming through, and we’ve seen them perform for the Lions. But I thought he was out-coached today. I said it at half-time, he didn’t set up his team correctly.
“The defensive system didn’t work properly, the backfield wasn’t covered in the right way, the scrum was under serious pressure and they didn’t retain the ball well enough.
“It turned into a quagmire in the second half. It’s difficult then to go to your offensive plan, but at some point you’ve got to pay the piper. He’s looking down the barrel of a couple of difficult conversations.”
Rob Kearney highlighted what he saw as questionable decisions in the matchday selection, particularly in the back three.
“There were some funny calls in there. Kinghorn, a Lions tourist last year, Darcy Graham, a superb winger.
“They’re saying he’s [Duhan van der Merwe] out of form, but he played against Leinster two weeks ago and looked pretty sharp. On a night like that, he’s exactly the type of player to give you go-forward. He’s strong in the air.
“It’s massively backfired; there will now definitely be questions over team selection.”
The conversation then turned to the bigger picture, with the panel debating whether continued struggles could put the coaching ticket under pressure as the championship progresses.
Ian Madigan and Kearney suggested that drastic action could not be completely ruled out.
“I think they could,” said Madigan, with Kearney adding: “New Zealand just did it.”
Horgan, however, pointed to the practical challenges such a move would involve.
“I don’t know if the Scots would. There’s a financial imperative there as well which makes it trickier. It depends who you want to bring in, whether that person is available and the cost involved.
“Glasgow are flying, so you can’t say the players aren’t in form.
“In truth, this is a game Scotland should be winning. Yes, the gap has narrowed, Italy have improved and it’s Italy at home, but Scotland should still be winning that game.”
Horgan also returned to a familiar criticism of Scotland’s inability to build momentum across campaigns.
“They could easily go and beat England at home next week, because that’s how strange this Scottish team is, but it’s not the one-off victories they need. It’s consistency.”
“They’re consistently inconsistent,” said Madigan. “They would have spent the week preparing intricate plays and moving the point of contact, but the conditions didn’t allow that. It wasn’t until the 78th or 79th minute that they actually put together good passages of play, and by then it was too late.”