Humble hero thanks supporting cast for helping him grab treble

HAT-TRICK hero Blair Kinghorn celebrated his history-making moment with a tribute to the brilliance of Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg.

Kinghorn, who became the first Scot to bag a Championship hat-trick since Iwan Tukalo touched down three times against Ireland back in the 1989 Five Nations, insisted that having superstars like stand-off Russell and full-back Hogg in the team made his job on the left wing easy.

But the all-rounder, most often seen at full-back and competing with Sean Maitland for the No11 jersey next weekend, says he is taking nothing for granted.

Speaking about his trio of touchdowns, Kinghorn — who picked up man-of-the-match honours — said: ‘It was awesome, a great performance from the team and we couldn’t ask for more to start the Six Nations. I’m delighted and over the moon.

‘To score any try is brilliant. I was just lucky to be on the receiving end of some great passing and a great kick from Finn.

‘I also thought Hoggy showed brilliant hands to get it away in contact for the second try.

‘I feel comfortable on the wing, I train there quite a lot and I’m getting more game time.

‘Hoggy and Finn are exceptional players who make life a lot easier.’

Kinghorn bagged his first try after just 12 minutes, sprinting over in the left corner after a spectacular cross-field kick by Russell.

His second came just nine minutes later, when he picked up a bouncing pass from a tied-up Hogg to go over in almost exactly the same spot.

And a third, Scotland’s fourth of five on the day, was a fine finish to a stunning move involving a handful of superb passes.

Gregor Townsend admits he now faces a selection headache, with Maitland expected to be fit for Saturday’s visit of Ireland.

Kinghorn, asked if he’d now made the position his own, declared: ‘No, not at all.

‘It goes week by week. You just have to train hard week by week and, if you get selected, put your best foot forward.

‘We will review the game on Monday, we’ll be happy with the win. But we will be quite critical and see how we can get better in a massive week coming up.

‘Obviously going down to 14 didn’t help in the closing stages.

‘We’ll have a hard session on Monday. It will be a massive week for us. I think everyone knows that. It’s just great to start the Six Nations with a win.’

Kinghorn joins an illustrious list of Scots to have scored hat-tricks, putting himself alongside such names as Tony Stanger, Chris Paterson, Gavin Hastings and Tukalo — who did it twice.

The first to score a treble in the Six Nations, he said of his place in the record books: ‘It’s cool. It’s nice to be named among them. But I’m mainly just over the moon with the result.

‘I feel I’ve matured quite a lot since I got my first cap. When you come in, you run around like a headless chicken.

‘I feel like my performances are maturing as the seasons go on. I will just keep working hard and keep playing well, hopefully.

‘It was a big day for the three lads in the team getting their first caps. Sam Johnson was unreal, the boys coming off the bench did great.

‘They get the cufflinks and one of them will probably get the ball.’