Gregor Townsned refused to be drawn on his future as Scotland head coach after rounding off the summer tour with victory over Samoa in Auckland.
The Scots scored seven tries at Eden Park to finish the tour on a high after the bitter blow of losing against Fiji in Suva last weekend.
That defeat against the Fijians is likely to be costly after Scotland blew the chance to win vital ranking points heading into the World Cup draw later this year.
Townsend’s future remains unclear, with his current contract due to expire after the Six Nations next year.
A few weeks ago, Scottish Rugby chief executive Alex Williamson expressed a desire to extend Townsend’s deal and planned to hold talks whilst away with the team on tour.
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend during the Test match between Samoa and Scotland
Scotland’s Rory Hutchinson celebrates scoring a try in the victory against Samoa
But Townsend refused to give much away, saying: ‘I would imagine they [talks] will start to happen but the focus has been on this week, the short turnaround, the Test matches we’ve had.
‘Alex has been with us for the last three games now, so he’s seen how our environment works, what a Test week looks like, the players we have and the culture we have. After the summer, we’ll look into that again.’
Pressed on whether he wants to stay beyond next year and lead Scotland into the next World Cup, Townsend replied: ‘I’m not going to answer that just now.
‘Let’s just focus on tonight’s game. I’ll reflect on not just this tour, but this season as a whole because it has obviously been a busy few weeks for us.’
In the end, Townsend’s side claimed two victories from their three matches, with the defeat to Fiji being sandwiched by wins over Samoa and the Maori All Blacks.
He was adamant that positives should be taken in terms of growth and experience, despite the costly defeat against the Fijians.
‘There’s a lot of ways that you can evaluate a tour,’ he continued. ‘One is a longer-term one. Players get this opportunity to go up against three quality sides.
‘We saw this tour as three Test matches. Physical Test matches away from home. We’ve had more players that have got that opportunity with the Lions tour being on at the same time.
‘You’re not going to play your best every time. You’re not going to win every game. We know that. It’s part of sport.
Gregor Townsend’s contract with Scotland expires after next year’s Six Nations
‘We were disappointed that we didn’t kick on in the second half against Fiji after getting back into the game. We didn’t play as well as we could have. We made it tough on ourselves with the discipline.
‘The games either side have been excellent. The way the team reacted with a six-day turnaround this week, just one training session, the demands of travel, it shows what a quality group they are.
‘Also the pride they take in their performance and how they rise to that challenge of coming off the back of a defeat and taking the learnings and delivering a performance the following week.
‘The other aspect is the success of the tour off the field. The players have got closer together. You’re together for four weeks. You’re enjoying the cultures that are here.
‘We’ve made a point of getting out there. Whether it was a Maori welcome or going to a local rugby club in New Zealand to the week we had in Fiji, which was amazing, to this week, which has been a shorter week.
‘We are pleased with the win. We’re creating depth, whether it’s in the second row, the back row, or outside backs. There’s definitely more depth than ever.’
