TOWNSEND HAS UNFINISHED BUSINESS WITH IRISH AFTER WORLD CUP DRAW
Gregor Townsend admits Scotland have unfinished business with Ireland after being drawn against their Celtic rivals for a third World Cup in a row.
The Scots will also take on Portugal and Uruguay at the newly expanded 24-team tournament that gets under way in Australia in October 2027.
Scotland’s recent slide down the rankings to ninth saw them enter the draw as one of the second group of seeds and in line to face one of the six best teams in the world.
Former Wallabies great James Slipper pulled them out of the hat and into Pot D to set up the latest reunion with an Ireland side that Scotland haven’t beaten since Townsend took charge in 2017.
There is extra motivation for the Dark Blues given the Ireland match should decide the winner of the section and could be the difference between a round of 16 tie against France or a third-placed minnow.
Scotland will have two more matches with Ireland at the Six Nations before the World Cup clash.
But Townsend admitted that, after the losses in 2019 and 2023 that contributed to his team not making it out of the pool each time, they will need to up their game if it’s to be third time lucky.
Asked if there will be a point to prove against Ireland after those disappointments, Townsend said: ‘Yes, I think that there always is with Ireland. Obviously both (World Cup) games were disappointing in that we didn’t play close to our best rugby. And whether that would have been enough to beat Ireland (I don’t know).
‘Ireland were the leading team in the world going into the Japan World Cup and then last time (in France) they were up there in the top two or three. It’s disappointing we weren’t able to put our best performance out (at either tournament).
‘Now that’s obviously something we have to work on. There was so much emotion and perceived pressure (last time) that if you don’t win this game you’re out. It was like a knock-out.
‘You won’t get that in the pool situation now, there’s much less jeopardy. Whether that frees up the players more, who knows. We know we have to be better than we were in the last two World Cups against Ireland.’
Based on seedings, Scotland will be expected to line up against France in that round of 16 tie but Townsend hopes his team can punch above their weight.
‘I think everybody knows that getting out of the group to the last 16 is not the same as getting out of the group to eight (in previous tournaments) - you want to get as far as possible,’ he added. ‘We obviously want to make sure that (it doesn’t go) with seedings and we finish first.
‘But if that was the way it worked out, then we know France. They’re a team we play regularly and we’ll have played them twice before then, just like Ireland.’
Scotland’s planning for the tournament will begin in earnest in April once the teams discover their match schedule and venues on February 3.
‘It was an exciting morning, the build-up to the draw and then finally seeing Scotland pulled out of the hat and in a pool and then you can start to go: “Right, these are our opponents”,’ added Townsend.
‘Then there’s the practical side. We have some things that were provisionally in place about World Cup warm-up games and a potential camp pre-Australia that would have changed if we’d got certain teams in our pool. So that actually should be much more straightforward for us in terms of planning.
‘We find out the venues in February and then myself, the manager and probably one of the performance staff will go out in April.’
Townsend revealed he got in touch with national football head coach Steve Clarke after his team qualified for their own World Cup next summer.
The rugby boss hoped his team would also get the benefit of a travelling Tartan Army touching down in Australia in two years’ time.
‘Steve and I exchanged messages. It was a brilliant night (for the football team) and it just shows you again. We’ve felt that before with our team - a Calcutta Cup or a victory can mean so much to the country.
‘This is them getting to a first World Cup since 1998, which is why it meant so much. I was there at that 1998 game against Morocco. I always feel like that was a badge of honour being there for their last World Cup game!
‘The whole nation is behind them. You’ve got two Scotland’s men’s teams now going to the next two World Cups so that’s great for both.
‘A lot of Scots went out to France (for the 2023 Rugby World Cup). The games in Nice and Lille were 90 per cent Scots. I’m hoping there will be a few Scots in Australia already, a few might come over from New Zealand and we’ll get a lot of support.
‘My last World Cup as a player was in Australia and the support was tremendous for Scotland in those games. So, I’m really hoping that our people are saving up and getting out there for two years’ time.
‘It’ll be a great tournament. And it’ll be brilliant to have more Scots at that Irish game than there were in Paris that night - the Irish seemed to get all the tickets!’
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