Scotland's golden generation eyes glory - 'we need to win something, the pressure is on us'

Sunday’s 27-13 victory over Australia signed off 2024 on a high, rivalling the Calcutta Cup triumph over England in the Six Nations for the result of the year. Defeat by Italy in Rome - clearly the low point - has been consigned to the distant memory. Gregor Townsend’s men have wind in their sails.

Three wins out of four in the Autumn Nations Series was the requirement in an action-packed November. Scotland were expected to comfortably dispatch of Fiji and Portugal, which they did. World champions South Africa were always going to be a tough nut to crack - and so it proved. Taking care of a resurgent Wallabies at Murrayfield was vital in ensuring Scotland bounce into next year’s Six Nations.

For Darcy Graham, that tournament cannot come quick enough. The little Edinburgh winger scored four tries against the Fijians but was denied a crack at the Springboks after suffering a head injury. He returned against Portugal, crossing the whitewash once, and while he did not get on the scoresheet against Australia, he was heavily involved in Scotland’s attack.

Home matches against the Italians and Ireland kick off the 2025 Six Nations campaign. Graham clearly feels this group of players is capable of big things, calling the current class “one of the best Scotland teams in a generation”. That label puts pressure on - but the 27-year-old wants to embrace that. “We've got world-class players everywhere,” Graham said. “It's just about doing something with that.”

Elaborating further on why he believes Scotland should be aiming very high, Graham continued: “I think we're in a really good spot. Confidence is there. Everybody knows their roles. That's a massive part. Team-wise, confidence is there. Putting it all together, going into Six Nations, those five games, it's going to be massive. It probably is one of the best Scotland teams in a generation. We need to win something. The pressure is on us.

“We need to take massive confidence from that game against Australia. That pressure is a good thing. It's just about rising up to it. You do need a wee bit of pressure on yourself. As a team, I think we know where we're at. We know where we can get better. It's exciting times ahead.”

This Scotland team has been criticised for not dealing with the pressure when it really matters. Two consecutive group-stage exits at the World Cup and not being in the mix for the Six Nations title in the closing stages of the tournament remain blots on the copybook. Graham does not want a repeat next year. He is targeting two opening wins before Scotland hit the road to play France.

“If you can win those first two, going into the third away would be massive,” said Graham. “It's just about keeping the boys fit, keeping a full-strength team in the next two months. We want to be flying into that Six Nations, our full-strength team. Keeping everybody fit is the challenging part.

“The more you play with the boys, the more you start understanding them. The coaching set-up we've got now is world class. Everybody brings different parts into training. Honestly, it's class. It's such a good set-up. It's such a good vibe around camp. I think boys enjoy coming into camp and working hard for each other. When you get wins like that, it's so worth it. It's exciting. It's just pushing on to that and getting more of those wins.”

Graham continues to play his part. His five tries in the Autumn Tests leave him one behind Duhan van der Merwe - often his team-mate on the other wing - in the race to top the all-time scoring charts. The winger views it as a sideshow to the main event.

“Honestly, the record's going to bounce back and forward,” smiled Graham. “To see Duhi score is class. For me, I just want to win in a Scotland jersey. That's all the boys want. Records don't mean anything really. It's about winning and getting special wins, making special memories with the boys. If I can assist in tries, I'm happy with that.

“We have a joke about it, but it's just banter. It's not too serious. Like I said, it's going to go on for years to come. Hopefully, me and Duhi can take it into the 40s.”

Of more importance is the impact of new captain Sione Tuipulotu, who was given the most glowing of commendations from Graham. “I can't speak highly enough of Sione,” he said. “He's been awesome. Brilliant captain choice. It's the way he speaks around camp. You're just drawn to listen to him. He's the kind of captain you want to follow into battle. I love playing with him.

“The way he leads on the pitch, he's class. It takes that pressure off of Finn [Russell]. He's stepping up, calling stuff and becoming a leader. It takes that pressure off Finn and now he can do his magic elsewhere.

“Beforehand everything was having to go through Finn. He was having to call the plays, look up, see where the space was. Now Sione's doing that so Finn's just playing his game. It's just making a huge difference along that back line. I don't like singling players out but I genuinely do think he's made a massive difference where the Scotland team has gone.”