Blair hails Scottish guts

Captain Mike Blair was overjoyed after Scotland regained the Calcutta Cup with a shock 15-9 Six Nations win over England on Saturday.

Captain Mike Blair was overjoyed after Scotland regained the Calcutta Cup with a shock 15-9 Six Nations win over England on Saturday.

The home side went into the game as massive underdogs after losing their opening three matches of the tournament, but took full advantage of a woeful display from the title-chasing visitors.

“It's just a massive relief,” Blair said, speaking to BBC One.

“We've not had anything to shout about for a few games. We're just overjoyed we could do it.

“It's a typical Scottish performance, guts and determination.

“There was bit more to it than that as well. There was some great ball retention, some bright, smart play.”

Meanwhile, head coach Frank Hadden hailed the Murrayfield crowd and took a swipe at Scotland's critics.

“I'm just really delighted for the fans, the long-suffering supporters,” he said.

“We had a lot of supporters out there; we've got a lot of critics as well.

“That win definitely wasn't for the critics – that was for the support we received over the past couple of weeks.

“It's been difficult. It's not easy to maintain your confidence with that level of negativity. That's what made today's performance all the more remarkable.”

Chris Paterson kicked twelve of the Scottish points and admitted the victory ranked up with Scotland's proudest moments against rivals England.

He pinpointed the 19-13 win eight years ago, when Scotland denied England a Grand Slam in similar wet-weather conditions.

“It brings back memories of 2000,” Paterson said, speaking BBC Radio Scotland.

“I was a young lad then, I'm a wee bit older now, but the emotions are still the same.

“It's a special occasion when Scotland play England at Murrayfield. All the hard times we go through, this is a special, special occasion.

“I'm absolutely delighted for the players who have taken a lot of stick.

“Frank Hadden and the coaching staff have had as much as we've had, but this makes it worthwhile for us, for the supporters, and especially for the coaches.”

Defeated England captain Phil Vickery admitted Scotland were worthy winners on the day, and also dispelled any overconfidence prior to the clash.

“They deserved their victory. It wasn't pretty – I don't think there was ever going to be a great deal of rugby played,” he told BBC Interactive.

“They did the nitty-gritty better than us. We're all bitterly disappointed.

“We weren't under any illusions how difficult it was going to be.

“(We're) disappointed with our performance certainly in that first half-an-hour. We pretty much did everything we said we wouldn't do.”