Scotland tour: Defence guru Steve Tandy plans ‘recalibration’ in Argentina after Six Nations dip

Scotland boasted a miserly defence in the 2020 and 2021 Six Nations but came unstuck this year during a campaign that saw them concede an average of three tries per match.

If opponents have learned how to crack the code then it’s time for the security chief to rethink his strategy and Steve Tandy will use this summer’s tour of South America to put in place more robust safety measures.

The Welshman is widely considered an expert in his field and had an immediate impact when he was appointed Scotland’s defence coach in December 2019. In the Six Nations that followed Gregor Townsend’s side conceded fewest tries (five - champions England were second best on nine) and fewest points (59, compared to England’s 77).

It’s true that Scotland didn’t score too freely that season but the balance was tweaked the following year and Townsend’s team still managed to boast the second best defensive record in the championship, with 10 tries and 91 points conceded.

Fast forward 12 months and the Scots were the second worst team defensively, with only Italy beneath them. Time to tighten up, acknowledged Tandy.

“There’s always a bit of recalibration,” he said ahead of Sunday’s flight to Chile.

“We had a couple of amazing seasons around our defence. Looking back at the Six Nations, France was a big disappointment but I don’t think it was all around the D.

“The last 15 minutes against Italy, we were really disappointed with that. But it was nothing we felt about what they were doing, it was where we need to be, and to be better. Ultimately, we’re striving to be better than we were there.”

The sloppy end to the match in Rome did not affect the outcome as Scotland had built a healthy lead and won 33-22 but the concession of two late tries left a