The Sunday Mail
Scotland flanker Jamie Ritchie said France’s pre-match boasts about winning the Six Nations was “fuel to the fire” as they won in Paris for the first time since 1999 on Friday.
The late 27-23 victory at the Stade de France put an end to Les Bleus’ title hopes, which were resting on scoring four tries or more and a winning margin of more than 20 points.
“I wouldn’t say it frustrated it us, it fuelled us. They were talking about winning by 20 points,” Ritchie said.
“We were confident going into the game. When they start talking about winning by 20 points it’s fuel to the fire.
“I wouldn’t say it was upsetting, it was good for us,” he added.
The Dark Blues finished fourth in the Championship after home defeats to Wales and Ireland.
Ritchie said the next step for the team was to battle for higher up in the standings.
“I think potentially putting ourselves in a position to be in that top end of the table. I think if the Wales game (25-24 loss) goes the other way we win the tournament,” he said.
“For us the next level is in those games where maybe we’re not at our best but we grind out wins and put together performances week after week.
“The next level is, we’re yet to see, but we’re going in the right direction,” he added.
Meanwhile, Wales coach Wayne Pivac said his side are “over the moon” after being crowned Six Nations champions.
France’s 27-23 defeat by Scotland, in the final match of the tournament, ensured Wales title win and denied a Grand Slam by the French.
They finished on top of the table.
“What a tournament it has been and, from a Welsh point of view, we are over the moon,” Pivac said.
“We are very happy to have won the Championship.”
Wales’ second Six Nations title in three years represented a huge change in fortunes for Pivac, who succeeded fellow New Zealander Warren Gatland as head coach after the 2019 World Cup.
A difficult 2020 saw Wales win just three of their 10 matches under Pivac, previously in charge of Welsh regional side Scarlets.
Based on that form, few tipped them for the title yet they still won four of their five Championship matches.
Even so, there was still a lingering regret over the failure to complete a clean sweep, with Wales frustrated by Brice Dulin’s added-on time try that saw France come from behind to beat Pivac’s men 32-30 last week.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t have done it together as a group last week,” Pivac said.
“We felt we did quite a bit in the game to win it but it wasn’t to be.
“It doesn’t take away from the fact a lot of hard work has been done and we’ve come out on top of the points table and won the tournament,” he added.
“Some great rugby has been played in this tournament and it is exciting times for all concerned.”
AFP
