Some feel after Townsend’s eighth Six Nations in charge it will be time for a change, but Beattie says given the lack of player depth in Scotland, the national team has punched above its weight on Townsend’s watch.

Despite the bruising defeat by Ireland at Murrayfield, Beattie insists a change would not necessarily lead to an upturn in fortunes.

“Gregor, over his tenure, has got quite a lot out of this squad, probably more than most other coaches,” he added. “And I think his win percentage is better than most other Scottish coaches historically.

“So people have incredibly short memories. I know the weekend was horrible to watch. Gregor actually doesn’t have a big player pool, doesn’t have a bunch of physical animals.

“We’ll always be on an uphill battle with the numbers, we have a really shallow pool of talent.

“And I think, actually, he’s got a lot out of the players that we have over the past five, six, seven seasons. So it’s disappointing, but be careful what you wish for.”