Six Nations: Scotland must believe they can win, says captain Sione Tuipulotu

With the national team picking up some big one-off wins in recent years, Glasgow winning a URC title in 2024, and a sharp upturn in the number of Scots selected for the past two British and Irish Lions tours, hopes have been raised that maybe the long wait for a Six Nations title could be ended.

Scotland and expectation tend to be uncomfortable partners, though, and producing five big performances to put themselves into contention has proved a bridge too far for this side under Townsend.

The smart money is on French, Irish or English hands being on the trophy when all is said and done, but Tuipulotu believes it may be no bad thing for Scotland if all eyes are elsewhere when looking for potential champions.

“Those teams deserve the responsibility and probably the pressure to be the favourites of the tournament,” he said.

“[For us] I think it just means history. I want to motivate the boys with just that – you can leave your name etched in Scottish rugby history and that should be the goal, that’s why we play. It ‘s important we own that responsibility.

“That’s the big picture. The smaller picture is that it’s World Cup a year-and-a-half away and it’s important to show a progression on what we’ve been building towards.

“So the big goal is to touch the trophy for the first time and the small goal I think is to show progression from the autumn and from the last Six Nations.”