Gregor Townsend believes that Scotland supporters may have expected too much from his team during autumn campaign

Gregor Townsend believes Scotland fans expected too much over the autumn - and claims a sense of ‘entitlement’ may have fuelled the disappointment of failing to beat New Zealand or Argentina.

Speaking after his team rounded off the series with an eight-try, 56-0 rout of a hapless Tonga side at Murrayfield, the head coach also dismissed any suggestion that his approach and tactics may have contributed to Scotland losing their two biggest matches of a dismal campaign.

Townsend is under mounting pressure after Scotland blew a 21-point lead in the defeat to the Pumas last week, which came on the back of them squandering a glorious chance to land a first-ever win over the All Blacks.

However, having only signed a new contract a couple of months ago, Townsend will carry on and lead Scotland into next year’s Six Nations.

Claiming some fans perhaps had an inflated sense of expectation, he said: ‘We’ve got to make sure what we’re talking about here. I don’t know if there’s an entitlement around us beating the All Blacks and Argentina - these are top-quality teams. We have no right to beat any team.

‘We have focused a lot on the last 20 minutes [against Argentina] and that’s something we know we have to improve on.

‘But to look at it and go: “The other stuff isn’t good and we have to do something different”, I totally disagree.

‘Coaches aren’t too important and relevant in team performance at times. We learn game to game. I’ve never been more convinced [that this team is moving forward].’

Asked for his thoughts on the campaign as a whole, which started with an 85-0 win over the USA, Townsend continued: ‘The 20 minutes we had against Argentina is the negative throughout the four games.

‘While it’s only 20 minutes, it’s 20 minutes that cost us a game and that’s what we have to get right. We need to manage those momentum swings better, that’s a big learning from this campaign.

‘The players, like they did today, are the ones that drive our performance and I’m so grateful to work with this player group.

‘The way the team is playing, I believe, is inspiring our supporters, putting top teams under pressure and it should have led to victories. It didn’t and that’s what we’re trying to work on.

‘The New Zealand game was one of the best performances we’ve seen. The 20 minutes against Argentina doesn’t change what the team did the week before.

‘Of course, we want it to be perfect - we have to be better when the opposition have their moments. The game the players are putting out there is a game that can take us to success, whether that’s Six Nations or beyond.’

Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu came out swinging and took a swipe at what he perceived to be people turning their back on the national team following the capitulation against Argentina.

Asked if this team is capable of more than simply making up the numbers at next year’s Six Nations, he replied: ‘To be honest, I’m kind of tired of sitting up here and promising what we’re going to do.

‘I think a big focus for myself is getting into tip-top form going into that Six Nations.

‘We’ll take care of those games when they come, one game at a time. I think it starts off with a pretty tough task in Italy away and one that we need to fix and learn from, from losing there last time.

‘I’m not going to sit up here and give you guys headlines to go write in the media about how we’re promising this and how we’re promising that just for you guys to create a headline and turn your back on us.

‘I’m just going to sit up here and be honest about that. I’m not going to give you that headline.

‘We’ve got to regroup and we’re the guys in the changing room that have got to ultimately get over the hump. The only thing I care about is what’s said in the changing room and not what’s said on the stage.’

Asked to expand on who, exactly, had turned their back on the team, he continued: ‘Look, to be honest, I haven’t been looking at much of the media after last week.

‘As captain, this will be the first time where it’s actually been difficult for me to understand the other side of the coin.

‘It’s not what’s going to be said up on the stage or making promises and headlines and stuff like that. No one really cares about that. The only thing people care about is us actually getting over the hump.

‘For me, it’s about keeping the group tight and what matters is what’s said in our changing room and how we feel about each other.

‘We will all go back to our clubs now and we’ve got some huge games at club level. The important thing is to focus on those and make sure we go into the Six Nations in red-hot form.

‘We have had chances against New Zealand and Argentina, so there is obviously frustration there. But there have been some positive things in there for us as well.’