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The match against Tonga was a lackluster conclusion to what has been a disappointing autumn campaign for Scotland. The eight-try thrashing of a struggling Tonga side ultimately added little value in the broader context.
This victory did nothing to change the growing perception that Gregor Townsend’s tenure as head coach has reached its end.
Last weekend’s collapse against Argentina, where Scotland squandered a 21-point lead, only reinforced the belief that it’s time for a new direction.
Despite having hastily awarded Townsend a new contract recently, the leadership appears determined to hold onto the idea that he remains the right coach to guide Scotland’s future.
Contrary to the mounting evidence, Townsend remains a favored figure within the Scottish Rugby Union. They plan to allow him to continue leading the team into the Six Nations early next year.
Magnus Bradbury shrugs off the attentions of William Havili during the 56-0 victory
George Horne celebrates with Duhan van der Merwe after scoring Scotland’s seventh try
But you do wonder how the plates might shift over the course of a championship which begins with a difficult trip to face Italy at the Olimpico in Rome, a venue where Scotland lost on their last visit in 2024.
They also face trips to Cardiff and Dublin, with their home games against France and a revitalised England. Even at the best of times for the national team, it would be a tough schedule.
As a spectacle, yesterday’s game was more likely to induce a bout of narcolepsy than move the dial in terms of Townsend’s future.
True, he didn’t sign his own death warrant against Tonga the same way Andy Robinson did in 2012. In truth, nobody expected that kind of outcome.
He won the match and reaffirmed his belief that this team are continuing to make progress, despite mounting evidence to the contrary – that this is a side who have regressed.
The sum of Scotland’s efforts in the autumn campaign has been to blow two huge chances to claim victories, over New Zealand and Argentina, while running up a couple of cricket scores against USA and Tonga.
Flat-track bullies, nothing more.
Townsend was defiant when asked about his future last Friday and he doubled down yesterday in his pre-match comments.
Jamie Ritchie and George Turner celebrate what proved a walkover against the hapless Tongans
Sione Tuipulotu tries to burst his way past the Tongans at Murrayfield on Sunday
‘The door gets opened when we lose for people who want to criticise,’ he told BBC Scotland.
As opposed to what? People who *don’t* want to criticise? The happy-clappy brigade who wouldn’t dare say a bad word no matter how bad things get?
This is where Townsend creates a problem for himself. he refuses to accept or acknowledge valid criticism and instead chooses to paint it as some sort of agenda against him. In other words, he’s right, everyone else is wrong.
The fact that Scotland supporters could potentially be subjected to another two years of this stuff until the next World Cup is an extremely sobering thought.
Against such second-rate opposition, Scotland were on the front foot right from the off. A yellow card for Tonga back-rower Semisi Paea was later upgraded to a 20-minute red.
It was during that period when Scotland did most of the damage, Jamie Ritchie crashing over for the opening try on 11 minutes.
On his 50th cap, hooker George Turner then scored Scotland’s second, before lock Max Williamson powered over for a third.
Fly-half Fergus Burke converted all three tries to put Scotland 21-0 ahead against a visiting side who already looked like a rabble.
Duhan van der Merwe offloads during the final match of the autumn series in Edinburgh
Under-pressure Gregor Townsend pictured before Sunday’s game kicked off at Murrayfield
Even after barely 20 minutes, Tonga’s fitness levels were atrocious. They were also guilty of some ridiculously late hits, most of which went unpunished by French referee Luc Ramos.
Bearing in mind this was a Test match and not some kind of exhibition, Ramos was extremely lenient, not only with how he called the contact area, but the set-piece as well.
Tom Jordan was having a decent game for Scotland at full-back and so, too, was Burke on what was his first start at Murrayfield.
Racing into a 21-0 lead after the first quarter, Scotland were going at pretty much a point a minute without actually doing much in attack other than being functional.
You had to question what the value of all this was. With due respect to Tonga, other than boosting win-rates and other statistics what was really to be gained from playing against such poor opposition?
Likewise in last year’s autumn campaign, when Scotland were running riot against the bright lights of Portugal. Running up a cricket score against such feeble opposition will do nothing to advance Townsend’s team’s credentials.
Tonga’s discipline was awful. They had another two players sent to the sin bin either side of half-time. Given how late they were in some tackles, they were lucky not to lose even more players.
And yet criminally from Scotland’s point of view, in the period when both teams had a full quota of 15 players, the scoreline was actually 0-0. That’s how laboured this was.
Another Tonga yellow was to follow, centre Fine Inisi punished for a deliberate knock-on. The red jerseys were piling into the sin bin at an astonishing rate.
George Turner dives over the line to score Scotland’s second try in the 56-0 rout
At one stage, it looked like the Murrayfield bosses would need to build an extension to accommodate them all.
A burst from Duhan van der Merwe then eased Scotland further ahead as he touched down for the fourth try, with Burke once again converting.
Ewan Ashman rumbled over to score another try, adding to the two he got against Argentina last week. Now 35-0 ahead, the game was over. It was merely a question of how many Scotland would score.
The floodgates opened and George Horne raced over to add two more tries, with Ashman also powering over to make it a second brace in as many weeks.
At the end, as the crowds poured out of Murrayfield and filtered back towards the city centre to find other means of entertainment, the chill in the air was beginning to bite.
It was time for something to warm the cockles. As the pubs dotted around Haymarket and beyond began to fill up, Townsend will carry on as head coach despite a growing number of fans having already called last orders on his tenure.