It took all of 15 minutes for Scotland’s hopes and ambitions to meet a grisly end in this year’s Six Nations.
Gregor Townsend’s team were a shambles in defence and never recovered from the concession of two tries inside the opening quarter of an hour.
In those moments, the sense of foreboding was overwhelming. Another campaign going down the drain before it had even properly begun. The final scoreline of 18-15 showed the margin of defeat was only three points, but the reality of how this panned out was very different.
Italy were superior in every department. They were quicker in deed and thought, they were more accurate, played smarter rugby, made fewer errors, and deserved their victory. Townsend was outcoached by his counterpart Gonzalo Quesada. At the end, Scotland’s beleaguered boss looked like a beaten man.
Head coach Gregor Townsend cut a beleaguered figure after Scotland’s loss in Rome
Scotland players react with dismay at full time as Italy celebrate their Six Nations victory
There was almost a look of resignation on Townsend’s face, but it’s his letter of resignation that the majority of supporters are now crying out for.
It is abundantly clear now that he is out of ideas. His time is up, even if he refused to admit it afterwards in his post-match media conference.
Townsend stated that he still hopes to be in charge when England come calling at Murrayfield next weekend. And he will be.
His bosses at Scottish Rugby are not going to sack him after this defeat, even though they would be within their rights to do so. There would to be icicles in hell for that to happen.
The chief executive Alex Williamson stated back in the autumn that Scotland should have beaten the All Blacks by 20 points. Let’s just say rugby matters are not his forte.
It is performance director David Nucifora who would, in theory at least, have the power to call time on Townsend.
But Nucifora effectively operates on a part-time, advisory basis. His contract expires later this year. Would he have the authority to swing the axe? Unlikely.
Scottish Rugby will trust Townsend to rally the troops and summon the fire for another crack at the Auld Enemy and lifting the Calcutta Cup.
Jack Dempsey scored Scotland’s opening try but they could not recover from Italy’s fast start
Yet, here’s the thing. Even if Scotland were to beat England next week, what does it actually change in the grand scheme of things?
Nothing. It is something they have achieved plenty of times before under Townsend. On his watch, Scotland have either won or retained the Calcutta Cup six times in eight years. Some great memories in there, no question. But has any of it ever amounted to a title challenge in the Six Nations? Nope.
Has any of it ever been a catalyst for this team finally delivering on their potential over a sustained period of time? Again, no. Even if the Calcutta Cup ends up in Scottish hands next week, and that’s a big if against a resurgent England, it does not alter the view that Townsend’s time is up.
Given how they dismantled Wales at Twickenham on Saturday, England could run amok at Murrayfield. Maybe that’s what it needs. An absolute hammering to finally force Scottish Rugby’s hand and put Townsend out of his misery.
What is far more likely is that they will continue to muddle along with a head coach whose continued employment has now become a burden on this group of players. At club level, many of them are part of teams who win big games and win trophies. For the national side, they are a rabble.
George Horne touches down in the second half to give Scotland hope of a fightback
It’s a damning indictment on the structures put in place for them by Townsend. There is a long-standing perception in some quarters that Scotland are a team who too often over-promise and under-deliver. All talk and no trousers.
There have been times in the past when that has undoubtedly been true. But that simply wasn’t the case this year. On the back of such a dismal run of form over the past 12 months, expectations were extremely modest this time around.
Yet, after only game, Scotland still found a way of falling short of even such modest expectations What is left to play for? Fourth or fifth place? Avoiding the wooden spoon? The meeting with Wales in Cardiff in round three could well be the decider.
What a rush. What a time to be alive.
Followers of Daily Mail Sport’s new podcast on our social media channels will recall a discussion only a few days ago about the prospect of Scotland losing all five games.
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Not quite so unthinkable now, is it? We also stated back in the autumn that Townsend was too stubborn to resign, whilst his bosses at Scottish Rugby were too cowardly to sack him. That applies tenfold now.
The whole thing is done. It’s finished. Everyone can see it, bar those who would have the power to actually make the call.
The longer he stays, the more he is actually damaging his legacy. The sooner he leaves to join Newcastle Red Bulls, the better for all concerned.
Two-jobs Townsend should find himself with only one employer again very soon, and it won’t be Scottish Rugby. Or, at least, it shouldn’t be. He was defiant in the aftermath on Saturday. Determined that he and his players will get things right next week.
It was tiresome. The promise of jam tomorrow is a long-standing feature of his eight-and-a-half year tenure. When he reflects on what happened in Rome, he will surely concede that there were certain things he got wrong.
Louis Lynagh is hailed after claiming the opening try for Italy in their win over Scotland
Tommaso Menoncello touches down for Italy’s second try in the Rome rain
Why did he opt for a 5-3 split on the bench rather than 6-2? With the forecast being for torrential rain, more grunt in the forwards would have been infinitely more preferable.
Adam Hastings didn’t even come off the bench. He was effectively a waste of a player in a monsoon where Scotland needed more power up front. A new-look back three of Kyle Steyn, Jamie Dobie and Tom Jordan were all over the shop defensively in those early stages.
Given that Jordan has played most of his rugby with Bristol at fly-half, how much time had been spent on shape and defensive positioning in the backfield? Not a whole lot by the look of it, as Italy sliced through to score twice in that opening quarter of an hour.
Why was the set-piece such an abomination? If the scrum was shaky, the lineout plumbed new depths of ineptitude. Time and time again Ewan Ashman’s throws went astray. He had an absolute nightmare, his inaccuracies scuppering good field position far too often.
Can all of this be fixed in a week? Yeah, potentially. With Townsend desperately in need of a win, don’t be surprised if he recalls Duhan van der Merwe, Blair Kinghorn and Darcy Graham next week. But even a win over England would only paper over the cracks. No one should be naïve enough to be seduced by another one-off victory.
It is surely now a question of when, not if, Scotland call time on Townsend. Stuck in a cycle of mediocrity and abject failure, there can be no way back.
