Scotland's Huw Jones is adamant his side are still very much alive and kicking in the battle for the Guinness Six Nations title despite returning from Paris with nothing to show for their spirited performance.
The Scots roared back from 19-0 down to get within four points of France going into the closing stages, but the hosts scored a late try to secure a 32-21 victory and ensure the visitors were denied a bonus point.
Gregor Townsend’s side are second in the table and must overturn a five-point deficit and an inferior points difference if they are to get ahead of championship leaders and top-ranked side in the world Ireland, who they welcome to BT Murrayfield in their next match before then hosting Italy.
The rankings ⬆️⬇️#GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/jtkxon4jUA — Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 27, 2023 “It was tough to see France go over the line right at the end and miss out on the losing bonus point but we’re still in it with two games at home to play,” said centre Jones. “We back ourselves against anybody in this championship, but especially at home. “We’ve got a good record at Murrayfield, we make it tough for anyone who comes there, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to and a lot of positives to take from the France game. “We’ve improved a lot but we’ve still not hit our peak so hopefully over the next two weeks we can get there and put out an 80-minute performance.” Jones feels Scotland – who won their first two games against England and Wales – are coming to the boil nicely ahead of their potentially pivotal showdown with the Irish. “We’ve improved game by game in the tournament,” he said. “Despite the loss against France, I think that was our best all-round performance. “We’re just