Time for Scots to 'stop talking and start doing'

"I think we fully understand the way the Scottish people are feeling, their frustration and their lack of hope in what we've said in campaigns gone past. There isn't much hope or trust in what we said and that's fair enough. I think we're fairly honest about the fact that we haven't backed that up enough and consistently and on the big occasions."

"So that's why there were really good conversations in that autumn after a really raw defeat to Argentina. I think we're just adamant to not forget what we spoke about then, to kind of confront how we were feeling then and just take that into Rome. It's all eyes on Rome now. That's going to be the real first chance that we get to show that we can act on what we say and, fair enough to the people of Scotland, it's time for us to stop talking and start doing."

Scotland head into the Six Nations without external hype and with tempered expectations. External chatter about a golden generation has not matched internal belief, and the team accepts limited entitlement to favourite status. The “arrogant Scots” label is inaccurate given recent results. A chastening autumn series and losses to the All Blacks and Argentina have kept players realistic. Players acknowledge public frustration and admit the team has not consistently delivered on big occasions. Honest conversations followed the Argentina defeat and the squad is focused on applying lessons and showing action rather than words in Rome.

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