Scotland rugby team have ‘quieter celebration’ after Calcutta Cup victory

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend said coronavirus meant his players had a “quieter celebration” after winning their Calcutta Cup match against England.

The rugby union team celebrated after beating rivals England at Twickenham for the first time in 38 years – but Townsend insisted they “followed all the social distancing protocols”.

He added that his players would be “feeling fragile”, but said that is because of the “physical” nature of the clash.

Townsend, speaking after Saturday’s victory, added: “We flew back last night, and they weren’t in their beds straight away, let’s say.”

Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, the player turned coach said there had been a “quieter celebration”, adding that “we obviously followed all the social distancing protocols”.

He said: “It was great, we had the trophy in the changing room, there is a real bond with the group so it was just brilliant to see them enjoy the moment.”

“The glow and the buzz from yesterday, the game itself, but also the messages and just thinking about what homes were like in Scotland yesterday afternoon.”

Those messages included praise for a “truly historic win” from Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who tweeted her “massive congratulations” to the team.

He continued: “It would have obviously been much better if we had had supporters in the stadium, but, with the messages coming in, it obviously hit home what a big result this was.”

With only some players taking the knee before the start of the match – a move which has become a show of solidarity and support for the fight against racism – Townsend said it had been left “100%” to individual members of the team if that was something they wanted to do.

But he said: “We obviously stand against any racism and discrimination in our sport.”