Frustrated Townsend proud of Scotland effort in defeat to South Africa
Rugby Union – Six Nations Championship – Scotland v France – Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain – March 7, 2026 Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend arrives before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
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PRETORIA, July 11 : Scotland coach Gregor Townsend said his side were frustrated at letting South Africa off the hook in their 42-28 Nations Championship defeat in Pretoria on Saturday that denied the visitors a first away win over the Springboks.
Scotland were the better side for large parts of the game but critical errors and a failure to take their opportunities when they had a one-man advantage early in the second half cost them.
They also conceded several soft tries against a much-changed, relatively inexperienced South Africa team who rested several of their regulars and were missing many others through injury.
“We’re really frustrated we didn’t get more points on the board in the first half and in that period when the Boks go down to 14 men,” Townsend said.
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“I’m massively proud of the effort we put in but it wasn’t to be today. It’s a learning for us, we’ve got to be better for 80 minutes.”
Following on from their excellent 47-38 victory in Argentina the week before, beating the Springboks in Pretoria would have been a mighty scalp. But Townsend believes there are more gears for his side to go through.
“There’s a lot more in us, and with the amount of opportunities the players created today through work, skill and intelligence, we’ve got to take more to beat the world champions,” Townsend said.
“We don’t get to play South Africa very often, we don’t get to play them here, so that’ll be the feeling tonight. Today was another step forward.”
Scotland travel home to face Fiji at Murrayfield in Edinburgh next Saturday for what is actually an ‘away’ fixture for the side in the competition. South Africa host Wales in Durban.
Source: Reuters
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