Scotland head coach Townsend - 'The supporters were right to be disappointed'

Gregor Townsend, head coach

On how he is feeling after the defeat by Ireland:

"I was proud of a lot of aspects of the game. I am hugely disappointed that the game got away from us. We're out of the World Cup.

"There's a lot that gets invested, from players to coaches and management, and for it to end in a disappointing result, a big score, is very tough.

"I have been involved with teams in the past and your defeats can shape you as well. Sport will have defeats and victories, we understand that. All that work that has been put into this team and the work that the players have put in has to continue. We have to learn how we can be better in our own game but also learn from the number one team in the world - what are they doing to make them consistent, effective and better than anyone else right now?

"That will be the process we work on and how we approach our next tournament, which will be the Six Nations in a few months' time."

On what makes the Ireland defence so special:

"Ireland have a lot of connection in their defence. They don't come up with huge line speed so it's very different to the South African defence. At times they will concede yards to keep their connection. The difference that we felt last night compared to the Six Nations game was that that defence didn't lose its shape whereas at times in the Six Nations we got in behind. They were excellent. Eighteen phases of attack didn't produce a score against them.

"They also really push the edge around the breakdown. Most rucks will be competed or counter-rucked so you have to make sure that you get your contact area right. If they defend like that it is going to be very hard for teams to break them down. We have one of the best attacks in the world in terms of try scoring and tackle breaks, line breaks, and we weren't able to score in that first half, which is a real credit to their defence. We threw a lot at it last night. Your defence is the basis of your success and right now their defence is the best in the world."

On former Scotland player Jason White saying the performance against Ireland was 'an embarrassment':

"I thought the supporters were right to be disappointed, right to see the scoreline and think, 'this is not Scotland, this is terrible'. We get that. We feel so disappointed that we weren't able to make it a much more competitive game and that hurts us as well as it does our supporters. At the end of a tournament it hurts us even more."

On what the review process looks like:

"We'll have a lot of coaches' meetings. We'll have feedback from the players in terms of preparation, games, support and get their ideas. There were so many positives about the World Cup camp - where the players were physically, what they were doing in training. There's more to build on."

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On his appetite to continue in the role:

"I am not contracted to the next World Cup. I am contracted for another couple of years. We'll see what happens in those two years. I'm sure lots can happen in that period."

On him sounding like he wants to give another RWC a shot:

"That's hypothetical. The focus is to make sure we learn from this experience, specifically the Ireland and South Africa games. The response of the team after South Africa was excellent. We didn't achieve what we believed we could have achieved last night. We know Ireland are ahead of us and we have a bit of work to do to get to that standard that they have set over the last two or three years."

On freshening the coaching set-up:

"We need to make a permanent appointment on the attack side. Mike Blair moved halfway during this World Cup cycle to Edinburgh and we had AB Zondagh, and following the November tests we brought in Pete Horne and Brad Mooar on a consultant basis. I see that being a one-person role in the future. I have a bit of thinking to do on that. We need someone in that role."

On how to broaden the pool of players who can play test-match rugby:

"There's a lot we can do better at age group into pro level. How do we get better, and more, opportunities for our young players? There are things we can learn from Ireland. Ireland took a bigger squad out to New Zealand last year. They played midweek games against New Zealand Maori and three tests against New Zealand. Those are invaluable experiences for their first team and also for other players to be on that tour and play top-quality opposition."

On Scotland going on tour:

"We've not had any tour experiences with the big southern hemisphere teams for a number of years. Last year was a really important tour for us to give young players opportunities against Chile and Argentina and it set us up for one of our best years of rugby we've had.

"We have to build on that next summer wherever we are going on tour, making sure we get more games for players who might not be playing regularly with pro teams, or who might not be playing regular test level, to experience test level. That is something we can learn from Ireland. They took a group out to South Africa, removed them from the URC [United Rugby Championship] to play together in a few games, so there are things we can do with the group just outside the test level to get them better prepared for test rugby."

On the bold comments made by some Scotland players ahead of the Ireland match:

"Players are free to talk how they want to talk to the media. There is obviously much more media in the World Cup. We don't tell players what to say, they can say how they feel. We felt confident in our game based on what we'd done over the last year or so. We obviously didn't deliver that. I would much prefer our players being confident going into a game than not confident."

On his thoughts on Rugby World Cup 2023:

"On the stadiums, entertainment, supporters perspective, it has been amazing. The atmosphere that is generated before, during and after the game is fantastic. It puts our sport in such a good light.

"And then the games - I thought last night's was a physical game, ball in play was close to 40 minutes, which is a brilliant spectacle of skill under pressure. The demands on the players is huge. And there is a lot more to come as we get to the knockout stages. It is disappointing not to be a part of that but we feel very privileged to have been involved in this, and to see so many Scots in particular at our games in Nice and Lille was amazing. It will be remembered as a brilliant tournament."