Scotland hand head coach Gregor Townsend contract extension

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has said he is ‘grateful' for the opportunity to put his plans into action after penning a contract extension thought to 2021.
Townsend has built on the success he claimed with Glasgow Warriors with the national team, beating England for the first time in ten years on the way to finishing third in this year's Six Nations championship.
Taking over the reins from the impressive work made by Vern Cotter, the 45-year-old recorded victories over Australia in both hemispheres and pushing the All Blacks close at Murrayfield in a 17-22 defeat.
“I have always been incredibly proud to coach Scotland and I'm delighted and grateful to be able to extend my involvement with the national team,” Townsend said.
“It's a privilege to coach such a hardworking group of quality players, which is continuing to grow in depth.”
Depth has been a matter of focus for Townsend when he took the measure of naming six uncapped players in his squad for the June Tests.
In the first match of the tour of the Americas, Townsend named an inexperienced backline that combined for 66 caps between them and still ran out 48-10 winners.
This has all been a part of a vision leading towards next year's Rugby World Cup in Japan where the Scots will play Ireland, Samoa, Japan and Russia in Pool A.