Having previously boasted respective strike-rates of one in every two and three Tests, respectively, Tommy Seymour and Stuart Hogg have both touched down beyond the opposition line just once in their last seven Test appearances and the common denominator seems to be their new Glasgow Warriors team-mate Huw Jones' voracious appetite for tries.
Not since dual code British & Irish Lion Alan Tait, has a Scottish centre shown such a nose for the line and since Jones invariably gets his hands on the ball before the men in the back three he has taken full advantage in reaching double figures in just 14 Tests as opposed to Hogg’s 17 in 57 and Seymour’s 16 in 41.
“I am getting a little bit of grief from the boys, but it’s all good natured,” laughed Jones, before noting that the threat Scotland now carry out wide has contributed to creating space for him.
“Playing with those guys allows me the opportunities and it’s always going to be one of us crossing the line.
“Sean [Maitland] scored against England, too. With the back line we have and the rugby we play, someone is going to be scoring. It just happens to be me recently.”
He admitted, however, to having a real taste for tries when the chance arises, following his second brace of tries in two meetings with an England team that has the reputation of having one of the strongest defences in the sport.
“Whenever you score one, you just want to get another one,” said Jones.
“As soon as I managed to sneak that first one, I was on the hunt for another . . . and then maybe another one after that. I almost got one in the second half, too.”
As Herald Sport columnist Max Evans points out in his column today, however, a large part of that is down to the instinct of a natural finisher and Jones did not deny that.
“If you are in the position to be greedy, you can. If there is a better option, you take it but when you get an opportunity, that white-line fever kicks in. If you can make it, you make it,” he said.
However he is very much a team man in terms of his aims as was evident in the pleasure he took in the reaction of senior team-mates.
“You could see before the game how much it meant to the guys who have been around for a while, players like John Barclay and Greig Laidlaw,” he said.
“You could see the motivation they were trying to instil in everyone else. And it paid off.
“To see their faces after the game, how much it meant to them . . . it means the world to all of us, but those guys especially, having been around for a while and had some not so good times in a Scotland shirt, it’s massive.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel