'You just don’t know how many more of these home games you’ve got'

Kyle Steyn reckons Scotland and France are ready to put on a show in Saturday’s high-stakes Guinness Six Nations clash at Murrayfield.

The Scots could leapfrog their visitors to go top of the table with a bonus-point victory while Les Bleus will secure the title with a game to spare if they notch a bonus-point win in Edinburgh.

Steyn acknowledged “it is huge and we haven’t shied away from that”. And the Glasgow wing feels this weekend’s showdown carries additional excitement because both sides are intent on playing swashbuckling running rugby.

“We know the challenge that’s coming this week and the kind of machine that is French rugby at the moment,” said Steyn.

“Whenever we’ve come up against these guys, we’ve had some really good games, some really fun clashes, some really big clashes, so I’m just looking forward to another one of them.

Fixture

Six Nations

Scotland

50 - 40

Full-time

France

All Stats and Data

“It’s two teams that love to play rugby. They are often really fatiguing games because you’ve got two teams that are trying to have a crack. Both teams will make errors and we obviously know how lethal they are from transition, so you’ve got to try not to make those errors.

“At the same time, they’ve got a big juggernaut up front that needs to move and we’re relishing the chance to have a go against them and try and make them defend. You look forward to these games, they’re always so much fun.

“Test matches can be so different. When you play an Ireland or other teams like that, it just seems like a gridlock game the whole week. But this is a game where you just know it’s going to be fun from one to 80. You don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s going to flow and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

After playing understudy to Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham in previous seasons, 32-year-old Steyn has emerged as Gregor Townsend’s first-choice wing even when both Edinburgh stars have been available in the recent autumn campaign and so far in this Six Nations.

“It’s a week-to-week thing,” said Steyn, not taking his increased status for granted. “Training has been so competitive out there. It’s not even just the three of us. Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, Blair Kinghorn and everyone out there in the back three have really trained well across the campaign.

“Kyle Rowe was flying for Glasgow at the weekend so there’s certainly a sense of you can’t rest on your laurels.

“But a campaign like this in the Six Nations, to have been involved in all the games so far, it’s just been so much fun.

“I missed the autumn and the Six Nations last season. Watching from the sidelines when you’re rehabbing can be a really lonely place to be.

“But it gives you a real appreciation when you get to be back out there again, just building up to a home game at Murrayfield.

“I’m one of the older backs in the team now and you just don’t know how many more of these home games you’ve got and how many more times you’re going to be able to stand there and sing the second verse of the national anthem, so I’m just trying to relish all those that I can.”