Edinburgh Rugby's Hearts fan doesn't have troubles to seek - but Hampden brings happy memories

His football team are bottom of the league and he is still suffering the fall-out from what he describes as the worst half of rugby he has ever been involved in as a professional.

Edinburgh were 48-0 down at the interval against the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg last Saturday after conceding seven tries during an opening 40 minutes in which everything that could go wrong did. The visitors scored three second-half tries to eventually lose the match 55-21 and Scott feels a lot of the damage was self-inflicted.

“We had a game plan going into the weekend which we just didn’t stick to in the first half,” said the centre. “We just over-played, completely shot ourselves in the foot. We ran our forwards into the ground, ran our backs into the ground, turned over the ball to the best turnover attack team in the URC. That’s exactly what we spoke about not doing during the week.

“Conversely, we came in at half-time and then went back to the game plan we talked about which was being more structured and limiting their turnover opportunities and we had a better second half.

“But the most disappointing thing was we started off poorly and weren’t able to pull that back before half-time. That is all on the senior players, the leadership group, the game-drivers – your nines and 10s. We have taken responsibility for not being able to address that after they scored their second try or third try and say ‘lads, let’s structure this game up a bit’ because we were just playing right into their hands.”

Scott thinks “a lack of maturity” was partly responsible and talks about “wider, macro learning we all need to take about game management and how games are won”. He speaks eloquently and honestly about what went wrong but he knows that it is only what the team does on the park that can rectify the situation.

“I think that was the worst half of rugby I have ever been involved in professionally,” he said. “It hurts. But words are completely irrelevant. I can stand here and say anything. We need to show on the pitch that we have got fight and we’re not soft. I can see everyone’s very determined to do that, but we need to show that on the pitch.”

Edinburgh will get the opportunity this Saturday when they play the Stormers at home, the first of two consecutive games at Hive Stadium, with Cardiff up next. Scott is also looking forward to the chance to play at Hampden after it was announced on Tuesday that Glasgow Warriors would host Edinburgh there on December 22 in the first leg of the 1872 Cup. It will be Scott’s first visit to the national football stadium for 12 years.

“I went to watch Hearts beat Hibs in the final in 2012, as a Jambo. That was fantastic, the last time I was there. I am a big football fan so to go back will be very cool.”