Seymour wants to hit 50 as a winner
TOMMY Seymour and Jonny Gray are both set to earn their 50th caps for Scotland against Wales on Saturday and Seymour demands the team hit back after the huge low of losing to France last weekend.
Wing Seymour and lock Gray have been mainstays of the national team for a number of years now, but both know that the defeat in Paris – and Scotland’s overall performance in the Six Nations to date – has been well below the standards they set themselves.
With two tough games to come against unbeaten Wales at Murrayfield in six days time and then away to England on March 16, there is a real possibility that Gregor Townsend’s men could end up with just one victory from five.
Seymour, 30, says Scotland will be doing their best to make sure that is not the case and they could do worse than remember back to 2017 when plotting how to defeat Warren Gatland’s men. That day in Edinburgh, Scotland were 13-9
behind at half-time and went on to win 29-13 after a great second 40 minutes.
For now though, eight days on from the reverse in Paris, the Scotland squad are still annoyed with how things went.
“I’m just ridiculously disappointed, to be honest, there is a frustration among the squad definitely,” Seymour told The Rugby Paper.
“It’s that old thing, it’s probably said too much, but we genuinely had a really good week in training before the French game. The boys were in the right spot. We just came out and didn’t execute in the first half, in particular.
“I wouldn’t be as harsh as to say we’re back to ground zero. We’re frustrated on the basis that we have made progress, but ultimately haven’t managed to get the results of late.
“I don’t think we go back to the drawing board and say everything needs to change, that everything we’ve achieved, every bit of progress over the last months and years is now obsolete. I don’t think that at all. I just think we’ve got to be better.”
Having been born in Nashville, USA, and then lived in Dubai and Northern Ireland, Seymour’s route to a Scotland cap was more unusual than most.
Due to his mother’s Glasgow heritage he always knew that he could play for the Scots and move from Ulster to Glasgow ahead of the 2011/12 campaign.
He made his international debut in the summer of 2013 away to South Africa and has scored 19 tries in his 49 Tests to date, and went on the British & Irish Lions tour in 2017.
His former teacher Gareth McKillen of Down High School in Downpatrick is immensely proud of his rise. He said: “Tommy is an incredibly talented sportsman who excelled in any sporting environment. “Rugby was always his passion, not only was he fit, strong and skilful but he was very determined to improve all aspects of his game.
“We are extremely proud of everything Tommy has achieved and are always delighted to welcome him back to the Down High School community. He regularly keeps in touch and often sends good luck messages to the senior team when they start their schools' cup campaign.”
Second row Gray, below, still just 24, made his full debut for Scotland at Murrayfield against South Africa in 2013.
He started playing rugby at Calderglen High School in East Kilbride and at the Cambuslang club.
While at Calderglen his rugby coach was Richard Maxton who said: “The one thing you saw from him straight away was his willingness to learn and work hard.
“Jonny is very much a leader on the pitch, always at the forefront of whatever he does. He continues today in that vein in his training and playing. He is also a very affable boy and loves playing rugby.”
Scotland will need both Seymour and Gray firing on all cylinders to halt the Welsh charge for a Slam.