Scotland lineup behind Townsend in full – Tuipulotu

The Scotland squad remains fully behind Gregor Townsend, with pressure mounting on the head coach following a disappointing Autumn Nations Series, according to captain Sione Tuipulotu.

After defeating the United States 85-0, New Zealand beat Scotland to deny them a historic first win over the All Blacks, then collapsed after a 21-0 run by Argentina to lose 33-24.

Ahead of the final match of the series against Tonga at Murrayfield on Sunday, Townsend answered questions about whether it was time for a change, after eight years in the job.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, Tuipulotu expressed his support for the head coach.

“I don’t think I have ever stood before you and not spoken frankly,” Tuipulotu said. “When you guys ask me questions, I always give you my honest answer. My honest answer is that I fully support my coach, as well as all the players.

“I take a lot of responsibility for what happened over the weekend [against Argentina]. I’m the team captain.

“Gregor is not out there playing rugby. He put us in a position to get 21 points and I take responsibility as captain for why we might have let that lead slip away.

“We didn’t execute against New Zealand. I think it’s more about the players, because I’m on the field, I’m there to be able to influence the situation along with all the other players.”

“So I stand before all of you here and say frankly that I fully support Gregor. I still believe he is the right man for the job we can accomplish before the World Cup.”