Gregor Townsend signs new deal with Scotland until 2023 World Cup

Scotland have confirmed that head coach Gregor Townsend has signed a new deal with the national team until the end of the 2023 World Cup.

Townsend took in charge of the Dark Blues in 2017 and has guided the team to 22 wins from 40 games taking them to the fifth place in the World Rugby Rankings.

Under Townsend, Scotland also finished fourth in the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup this year and also retained the Calcutta Cup over England for the first time since 1983 after victory over England in 2018 and followed it with a 38-38 draw in 2019.

“I am honoured and privileged to have been given the opportunity to continue in my role as Scotland head coach. I will be doing all I can, alongside an outstanding support staff, to improve the team as we build towards Rugby World Cup 2023 in France," he told the official website of Scotland Rugby.

“Over the past year I believe we have made progress on and off the field which give real grounds for optimism around what this team can achieve.

“I know how much our supporters want the team to do well and the backing for the team has been fantastic, especially during the difficulties of the past year with Covid, knowing how much of a lift the country gets when the national team is successful.

“We have a very talented and hard-working group of players, with growing depth in a number of positions. We will be putting all our efforts into unlocking that potential and helping our players deliver their best performances when they come together for our future campaigns.”