It was a message of triumph, but it came with a warning. “I’ve been on this journey now for four or five years with this team and I take the last week as a low moment for myself, but I’ve also had some massive highs, and this is one of them,” said Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu almost immediately after a win over England that changed the narrative around his side. “But I really want this to be the growth now, us to show our growth next week to back up this performance in a stadium that we’ve had troubles in over the last 20 years.”
Tuipulotu had not long got his hands on the Calcutta Cup, a prize with which Scottish skippers have been rather familiar of late, and already he was setting a new challenge for his side, referencing an unwelcome record. Too often, highs against England under Gregor Townsend have been followed by a level below; one step forward, two back, too often. It is a trend that extends beyond even the Townsend tenure – in all, Scotland have beaten the Auld Enemy seven times since 2001, and lost their next match on six occasions. Add in the factor of Cardiff, a city in which Scots have only won twice this century, and Tuipulotu’s trepidation was entirely understandable.
