Scotland rugby head coach Gregor Townsend warns players they’ll need to raise their game to stand chance of ending seven-year losing streak v Ireland

It was eight years ago this month that the Scots last beat the Irish under prior head coach Vern Cotter, by 27-22 at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium, and they’ve lost all ten since Townsend took over three months later.

The Borderer is hoping to stop that losing streak stretching further into double figures at Murrayfield this coming Sunday, with kick-off at 3pm, but he’s fully aware his side will have to raise their game to have any hope of pulling off an upset against visitors ranked second in the world, four places higher than their hosts.

“We know the tests that are coming but that was a really good test today,” said the 51-year-old after watching his team see off the tenth-ranked Italians by 31-19 in Edinburgh, making amends for a 31-29 defeat in the corresponding fixture last time round on the road in Rome.

“Italy will be serious opposition for every team in the championship – they were for us today, very physical – but I believe we’ll have to be better than we were today to win next weekend.”

That victory, thanks to a Huw Jones hat-trick of tries, was the fifth time on the bounce that the Scots have got a Six Nations campaign off to a winning beginning and ex-Gala and Border Reivers star Townsend wants to see them build on that positive start this time round and challenge for a second top-three finish in three years rather than fading as the tournament goes on and ending up fourth, as happened in 2021, 2022 and 2024.

“It’s positive that we started with a win, that we managed to score five tries so you get maximum points, and to go through that test when we were leading for most of the game and then go to 19-19 and come through it, that’s going to prepare us really well for the tests that are going to come,” he said.

“There are going to be times when opposition get momentum, opposition get scores, like today, and it didn’t affect the players’ belief in what they needed to do to get the win.

“Teams are going to get moments where they’re in control or scoring points and they’re a good team, Italy, and they did put pressure on our line in the last ten minutes and I was really pleased with how the team defended and made sure they didn’t score any more points.”

Scotland’s other tries besides outside-centre Jones’s three were scored by former Southern Knights openside flanker Rory Darge and scrum-half Ben White, with fly-half Finn Russell kicking three conversions.

Ignacio Brex touched down head coach Gonzalo Quesada visitors’ only try, with Tomasso Allan adding a conversion and four penalties.

Townsend fielded one fellow Borderer in his starting XV, Hawick’s Darcy Graham, and another ex-Green on the bench, Glasgow Warriors loosehead prop Rory Sutherland.

Edinburgh right-winger Graham, playing his first Six Nations game since 2022, went off for Kyle Rowe on 72 minutes and Sutherland, 32, was brought on for Pierre Schoeman on 51.

Graham, 27, is now on 43 caps and Sutherland on 38.

Both are expected to be available for selection for the match-day squad to take on head coach Andy Farrell and temporary stand-in Simon Easterby’s Ireland, 27-22 victors at home to England in Dublin on Saturday, with Townsend saying of the former: “Darcy Graham picked up a couple of knocks but he’ll be fine.”

Townsend is scheduled to name his match-day squad for Sunday this Friday.

See also …

https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/in-photos-scotlands-last-ten-rugby-matches-versus-ireland-4957698