‘We go again’ – Scotland star sets next target and pays tribute to Gregor Townsend who makes ‘best ever’ statement
Scotland wing Kyle Steyn was named Player of the Match against England.
Star wing Kyle Steyn praised the “absolutely unbelievable” atmosphere at Scottish Gas Murrayfield as Scotland stunned England 31-20 in the Six Nations on Saturday.
The Scots, reeling after a disappointing opening round loss in Italy, were a completely different side on their home patch as they dominated the Calcutta Cup showdown.
Tries from Huw Jones (2), Jamie Ritchie and Ben White were added to be 11 points off the tee from Finn Russell as Gregor Townsend‘s men claimed a bonus-point win.
Maximum haul
A maximum haul catapults Scotland up to first position in the Six Nations standings ahead of the Wales v France match in Cardiff on Sunday in quite a mood turnaround.
Steyn was named Player of the Match on Saturday following an all-action performance that saw the Warrior in the thick of the action on both sides of the ball throughout.
He reflected on the Round One defeat to Italy and credited their home support for helping the side recover and bounce back in a win that has done them the power of good.
“We could feel the pressure after last week,” he admitted after a shock triumph. “We felt really connected to the fans, we knew how frustrated they were after defeat in Italy.”
“The noise today in the stadium was absolutely unbelievable and I just cannot thank the Scottish fans enough.
Scotland v England: Winners and losers as Calcutta Cup win ‘saves Gregor Townsend’s skin’ once again
“Credit to our guys, credit to Gregor, credit to Sione [Tuipulotu] because it would have been easy to default to what we’d done before. It is one week at a time, all the focus is on next week (v Wales) and we go again.”
Meanwhile, head coach Townsend was beaming with pride in both how his players fought for each other and the quality of rugby they played, especially in the first quarter.
“I think I was just so proud of the way we played tonight,” he said. “After 20 minutes I thought that was some of the best rugby we’ve ever played. It’s all you want as a coach, and then to see the effort in the second half, we became a team that would fight for each other and the supporters.
“A special mention to our supporters – we’ve given them something to shout about for the next 12 months. The players can share the joy with their families, they can enjoy having the trophy in the changing room, but we’re back on it next week and we go to Cardiff to build on what we did today.”
Soaking it up
Like Steyn, Scotland full-back Tom Jordan was also blown away by the atmosphere at Murrayfield and admitted that he enjoyed basking in the win in front of the fans.
“Alright, the boys just showed so much grit that whole game and just trying to soak it up to be honest,” he said.
“A bit lost for words. Just how good was the atmosphere here. Just loved it. Even the walk around at the end. So good man. I’m just going to soak this one up.”
Out of nowhere, Scotland are now in a Six Nations title race and next week’s clash with Wales at the Principality Stadium is an opportunity to strengthen their claims.
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