LONG READ 'Scotland are in a good place, but can they become ruthless Six Nations contenders?'

In amongst some 67,000 souls at a raucous Murrayfield, Granny Jaqueline was the star of the show. The matriarch of the Tuipulotu clan, and swashbuckling skipper Sione’s link to Scotland, had never seen her boy play in the national cathedral, hadn’t seen her grandson at all in several years before a tie-up with sponsor Skyscanner facilitated the surprise trip across the world.

Jaqueline Anne Thompson beamed in the stands as Tuipulotu blasted Wallabies asunder for the opening score, then handed him the silverware when the battle was won. The scenes were pure; moments a family will cherish forever. The ‘Greenock Gran’ has even fathomed social media to the extent of posting vociferously about Sione and Mosese, who has joined his elder brother in Scotland, and replying to messages from increasingly grateful Scottish fans.

A perfect moment! Sione Tuipulotu scores with his Gran in the stands watching! ☺️

📺 Live on @rugbyontnt now!#AutumnNationsSeries | #SCOvAUS pic.twitter.com/8SdO1lnFCX

— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 24, 2024

Granny Jaqueline’s pilgrimage and the compelling manner with which the Scots dispatched a dangerous Australian side applied lashings of gloss to the November series. This was a window which delivered what was demanded. Three wins from four was the benchmark for success, if not the heroics Scotland felt was within their capabilities.

There was little to be gained from playing a grossly under-strength and lightly prepared Fiji, or a sprightly but limited Portuguese side. The respective visitors will have learned more about themselves than Scotland did from their trips to Edinburgh. All the more so after a summer voyage which took in Canada, USA, Chile and Uruguay while their Six Nations rivals traversed much more challenging terrain. Scotland have posted their highest-ever points and tries tallies in a calendar year, but when facing this level of opposition, it would have been more surprising had they failed to do so.

What will Townsend have taken from the month’s exertions? There are still gnawing issues to solve. Scotland’s execution against the very top teams needs work. They made nine visits to the Springbok 22 and took only six points. What felt like a tight contest wound up as a 17-point reverse with zero tries scored and four conceded. They attacked much better than in last year’s World Cup pool match – and South Africa were far sloppier – yet lost by two points more. Perversely, given the final score, it felt like an opportunity squandered. Scotland’s rip-roaring line breaks stressed the South Africans but never resulted in the seven-pointers or scoreboard pressure required to really fluster the double world champions.

The lineout remains shaky; yesterday’s darts awry and, alarmingly, drills botched on Ewan Ashman and Dylan Richardson’s watch. Squint throws, dropped balls, shift-drives mis-choreographed.

The scrum was expected to wheeze beneath the Bomb Squad’s might but the Wallabies and Portuguese each got joy from the Scottish set-piece too. That has to be a concern. So will Scotland’s continually ragged discipline. Fourteen penalties shipped against Fiji, 11 against South Africa, 10 conceded to the Portuguese and a dozen versus Australia, further swelling the highest infringement count in this year’s Six Nations. Scotland are transgressing far too often, granting cheap access to their own half which the most accomplished sides do not waste. The only numerical glimmer here is that while during the Six Nations, Scotland’s average penalty balance was 11 against and five for, their overall autumn score was plus-three. This will be a huge area of focus in the months ahead.

On the positive side of the ledger, we know all about Scotland’s all-court attack and Townsend’s innovation and it should be praised again for problem-solving in the two biggest games. Where Russell and Scotland were blitzed to dust by the Boks in Marseille, they pierced between the green and gold berserkers at Murrayfield without landing a killer blow. When Joe Schmidt’s Australia were alert to Russell playing out the back behind Tuipulotu, Scotland took direct, front-door options before looking for depth and then space on the edges. The scything manoeuvres for Josh Bayliss’ and Russell’s scores were exquisite in their construction.

⌚️ With this try from Duhan Van Der Merwe, he claims the title of the top try scorer for the Scotland men’s team! What a landmark, what a player! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💪 #breitling @Breitling #definingmoment pic.twitter.com/vHBBY4YdYa

— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 24, 2024

Steve Tandy’s defence, too, deserves plaudits. Not for Scotland the swarming rush of the South Africans, French and English. Tandy favours the ‘slow poison’ approach; a less aggressive line speed but more time in the tackle, soaking up pressure and leeching opposition momentum. They kept Schmidt’s quicksilver attack try-less until the 74^th minute and their ferocious red-zone scrambling thwarted the most promising Australian forays.

A few individuals grew in the jersey. Tom Jordan has long exhibited Test-match credentials for Glasgow and, now eligible for Scottish honours, took to the international stage as boisterously as Donald Trump will re-enter the Oval Office. He hadn’t started at full-back since his days in the Waikato Chiefs academy, and pitched in against the best team in the world, produced a performance dripping with class and determination. Jordan’s unflinching attitude, love of contact, and adroit skillset are a blend tantalising enough for Bristol Bears to sign him on a mega deal.

Darcy Graham, finally free from injury, was back to his old giant-slaying, ankle-breaking self. The Hawick sprite has more tenacity than a honey badger. His duel for try-scoring supremacy with colossal team-mate Duhan van der Merwe will run for many more years. All of Scotland’s gilded front-line backs swaggered and flourished throughout November.

Adam Hastings had some lovely touches after a truly head-wrecking spree of injuries. Jamie Ritchie bristled with aggression and belligerence on Sunday afternoon. His return to the Test arena underscored Scotland’s back-row depth. Freddy Douglas became the nation’s youngest debutant in over six decades.

In almost every position, Townsend wields options no Scotland coach in the professional era has ever had at his fingertips. His array of back-three talent is obscene. How do you fit Blair Kinghorn, Graham, Van der Merwe, Kyle Steyn (before his desperately unfortunate injury, the form wing in the country), Kyle Rowe, Arron Reed and, depending on where he plays, Jordan, into a matchday squad? Each man can be a game-breaker and each will have a part to play on the road to 2027.

Rory Hutchinson is a beautifully refined operator yet can’t get near the first-choice midfield. His start against Portugal was the Northampton Saint’s first in two-and-a-half years. He’s won a Premiership title in that time but he won’t disrupt the ‘Huwipulotu’ axis. He’s below Stafford McDowall in the pecking order too. Hastings looks like the third-ranked fly-half behind Russell and Jordan. Ben Healy hasn’t got a look-in after a clunky start to the URC season. Johnny Matthews, Glasgow’s absurdly prolific hooker, wasn’t in the initial squad. Jamie Bhatti was the Warriors’ premier loosehead on their glory road but is behind Pierre Schoeman and Rory Sutherland. Test Lion Ali Price is way down the list, what with the return of Ben White and the increasingly eye-catching rise of Jamie Dobie. And George Turner’s days in a Scotland jersey may not be done despite his flit to the Japanese top flight.

The depth suddenly bottoms out at tighthead prop and in the second row. Behind Zander Fagerson, there remains a dearth of top-tier deputies. Fagerson, now, is Scotland’s most important player – his excellence in the tight and thunderous work around the field more valuable, even, than Russell’s genius or Van der Merwe’s power. Will Hurd looks like Townsend’s next pick, but he’s third choice at Leicester Tigers and even with the Australians done for, the coach did not withdraw Fagerson until eight minutes from the end. Neither Elliot Millar-Mills, D’arcy Rae nor Javan Sebastian are starters for their clubs, and none are of the great Warrior’s calibre. Since the venerable WP Nel trundled off into the sunset, Scotland have toiled to find or develop an alternative.

Richie Gray has taken flight for Japan but even if he’d stayed put, his pairing with Grant Gilchrist would have a combined age of 69. His brother Jonny will surely declare himself available for the Six Nations having chosen to remain with Bordeaux-Begles, where he’s pulling up trees after two seasons ravaged by injury. There’s much to like about Alex Craig and Max Williamson is the next cab off the rank, callow though he may be. It’s not yet as robust a stable as Townsend would like.

Scotland are in a good place. Italy, at home, is a dangerous Six Nations curtain-raiser but they will be heavy favourites. We’ve been here before with Scotland, though. Down this maddening road of promise which, too often, seems to career towards failure. Can this generation, much of them in their prime years, mount a challenge at last? Can they muster the consistency which has undermined the quest for a title everyone in their camp believes can be won? Can they turn themselves into ruthless contenders and clamp those who see them as easy-on-the-eye also-rans?

Tuipulotu is at the heart of all this. What more can be said about the newly anointed captain? A special person, tender and humble off the pitch, and virtually irrepressible on it. He looks a fabulous choice of leader and orator. The Lions tailor might as well bring their measuring tape to Glasgow now, and get Tuipulotu fitted out for his number ones. Barring injury or a calamitous loss of form, he will wear the number 12 shirt in the land of his birth next summer. And Granny Jaqueline can watch him carve up again.