COMPOSURE and desperation rarely go together, but those were the twin characteristics that saw Scotland through to victory against Italy, according to Tommy Seymour.
The composure was in evidence above all in defence, as Vern Cotter’s team withstood a late Italian fightback to win 36-20 in Rome. And the desperation - for a win at last, after nine successive losses in the Six Nations Championship - was highlighted by Stuart Hogg’s break in the closing minutes which produced the clinching score for Seymour himself.
“This team has been desperate for a win in this competition for a while,” Seymour said. “We had said that playing well isn't enough. It's about results: that's what drives the business.
“There was a lot of steely determination in the squad to get over the line. It was really pleasing that we could get the monkey off our back, and we can now drive on from here. Going into the last two games, this team has a lot of confidence. Leading on against France, hopefully we can go back home and get a result there as well.”
There have been games in the past when an Italian resurgence has sapped Scottish morale and provoked panic, but this time the team stood firm. On another day Italy might have won the try count 4-3 rather than losing it 3-2, but the Scots defence held up when it mattered most.
“I think we did give a couple of penalties away, but it was mostly about composure,” Seymour said of the backs-to-the-wall passage of second-half play that preceded his score. “It was unfortunate to get the penalties against us, but we managed to get the ball back and get out of the half, so there was a lot of relief and a lot of pleasure taken. That kind of thing gives you almost as much of a lift as a try.
“We got to the point where we were defending on our line, nine points to the good. If they had scored there with ten minutes to go, the game would have been very much in the balance. But I thought the defensive work on the line there was excellent, and our scrum did what it was doing all day.
“It was important for us to see out the game. There was obviously a lot in the build-up to the game about not closing things out, so it’s great to get over the line.
“It’s just about character. Obviously, there are technical things as well that you’re trying to implement, but to be honest it was more about character.
“We spoke at half-time about seeing it through, that this was something we were not going to let go. When you're on the line it’s mostly about the desperation not to let them cross, and we got there in the end.”
During the long losing round in the competition that began back in 2014, the Scotland players have insisted that their self-belief has not been damaged. But, as Seymour accepted, it is always easier when you have proven you can win, rather than merely talking about being capable of victory.
“When we go into camp as a group of players, we know we’re capable of getting results,” the Glasgow Warriors winger added. “But there’s a difference between knowing it and doing a lot of positive things, and actually getting across the line. We've always known that doing it can give you confidence, and the defence on the line was a key moment in the game.
“We can look back and take a lot of pride from that. That's the kind of desire we want to have week in and week out. If we keep replicating that, and doing the good things in attack, then the results will come.”
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