'I was absolutely raging' - Scotland hero fumes about Calcutta Cup incident

Darcy Graham has called on Scotland to prove they are real Six Nations contenders by following up their Calcutta Cup victory with a win in Wales next weekend.

The highly-rated Scots began their campaign in exhilarating fashion as they ground out a dramatic 20-17 victory over England at BT Murrayfield on Saturday.

Gregor Townsend’s side have pulled off several big results in recent years, but they have struggled to do it consistently enough to challenge for the title.

Ryan Wilson and Jim Hamilton | Rugby Roots | Ep 1

Ryan Wilson and Jim Hamilton | Rugby Roots | Ep 1

However, Graham believes victory in Cardiff on Saturday would be a major indicator that Scotland have the winning mentality required to push for glory this year.

“The boys were unreal,” said the Edinburgh winger. “It’s hard to find the words to describe how you feel after a game like that. But winning that game is just one part of the puzzle. We need to back it up now when we go down to Wales. It’s a tough away fixture.

“We’ve won Calcutta Cup games in the past and then not backed it up. This is a huge opportunity for us. We’ve started well so hopefully we can go on and do something very special.”

Graham was one of Scotland’s best players against England on Saturday.

He laid on the opening try for debutant Ben White and was then lurking dangerously on the right waiting to receive Finn Russell’s crossfield kick from which Luke Cowan-Dickie patted the ball forward and out of play, conceding a game-changing penalty try.

While Graham was delighted his side got the seven points, he was disappointed in the heat of the moment not to get the chance to touch down himself.

“I was gutted,” he said. “I was absolutely raging that he slammed it forward. But it was the right decision to give the penalty try. He made no attempt to get up and catch it so it was a penalty try all day long.”

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Scotland endured a nervy finale, with several reset scrums in their own half in the closing stages, but Graham was the man who seized possession for his side right at the death, allowing Stuart Hogg to kick the ball out and seal a hard-fought victory.

“I was just determined not to let them score,” said Graham. “I made a mistake about 10 minutes before that so I wanted to make up for it. If I make a mistake I always try and back it up with something positive, and thankfully I did on this occasion.”