Gilchrist not worried by away daze
SCOTS PLAN ANOTHER WIN ON ROAD
With the memory of their victory at Fortress twickenham still fresh in their minds, Grant Gilchrist insists Scotland will have no fears over taking on France in Paris on Friday.
the second row insists Gregor townsend’s men are desperate to prove they can win on the road again — and that their first triumph in 38 years at the home of English rugby was no fluke.
Scotland have had three home matches since that famous opening day victory — losses to Wales and ireland and a win over italy — but Gilchrist believes Scotland can triumph in Paris for the first time since 1999 and scupper France’s bid to clinch the Six Nations title.
‘that England win has taken away any away fears, i think, and we have performed well away from home in recent times,’ said Gilchrist. ‘the boys won down in Wales at the end of last year’s Six Nations and the win at twickenham shows we can perform on the road.
‘We understand the size of the challenge, but we see it as an opportunity. there is no reason why we can’t put our best game out there in France and no reason why we can’t win.’
the 44-times capped second row played his part in the easy 52-10 victory over italy at the weekend and is set to start again alongside Sam Skinner against France with Jonny Gray out injured. the former Scotland captain is experienced enough to realise the eight-try rout last weekend was nothing more than a decent workout ahead of the tougher test against the French.
‘it was about making sure we got our own performance right and getting the job done, which we did,’ he said. ‘We had to bounce back in the set-piece and the line-out after the ireland game and the maul was particularly good against italy. We take real pride in those areas, so we were happy with that.
‘Overall, there are things i could have done better in the game, but i really enjoyed getting back out there and starting a game.
‘i have been champing at the bit since the start of the tournament, so to get involved off the bench last week and start this one was great for me. i enjoyed every minute of it.
‘it will take a monumental effort from the whole squad to prepare this week but, if we can get the result over there, it would be massive, a big momentum boost and a great way to finish the tournament.’
Gilchrist and the rest of the Scotland squad are accustomed to playing in empty stadia but the Edinburgh stalwart admits he can’t wait to play in front of fans again.
‘it shouldn’t make a difference if there is a crowd there or not but i know the boys are relishing playing in front of full stadiums again when we can because that is the pinnacle, but we understand we are in a privileged position to even be playing the game,’ he said.
‘No crowd in Paris won’t go against us, but it won’t give us an advantage either as we have to focus on the performance.’
An extra week in the bubble will not be a problem for Gilchrist, who has been using the time to show off his darts skills to his team-mates.
‘it is the best environment i have ever been involved with Scotland and i don’t just say that because we have been in the bubble,’ he said. ‘it’s been the hardest time to be locked down and not able to go home but the boys are good and credit to everyone, the management team, team manager David Edge for all the stuff they put in place for us.
‘We’re loving each other’s company. We all miss our families and we want to go home. i’ve got a young son that i’m missing but, while we are in camp, it is like we are there with 30 of our best mates.
‘it is great, the craic is really good, which is awesome, and what could be a really challenging time has been really good for us and we have got a lot closer.
‘We have tried to do different things and switch off from rugby, so when we have down time, we try to do as much as we can together and it has been quite a relaxed environment as well.
‘there hasn’t been a lot of organised stuff. that has suited a lot of the guys and we are all pretty comfortable with each other now. We are in a good place to be able to switch on or switch off without having to go home, which is great.
‘that togetherness will be really important. As for my darts game, it has gone from terrible to average, so folk have been misleading you if you think i am any good, but i did fluke a 180 and i have been telling everyone under the sun.’