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Ireland coach John Fogarty makes frank Tadhg Furlong admission
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Scotland scrum coach Pieter de Villiers: We can still win Six Nations
By Jon Newcombe
Pieter de Villiers is adamant a victory over England on Saturday can “turn everything around” for Scotland after a dire start to their Guinness Six Nations campaign.
Gregor Townsend and his players have come under heavy fire since Saturday’s grim 18-15 defeat by Italy in Rome.
But scrum-coach De Villiers still believes they can get back into championship contention by winning this weekend’s Calcutta Cup showdown at Murrayfield.
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“It’s only the second game of the tournament, any team in the tournament can still win it,” he stressed at a press conference on Tuesday.
“Italy will go out and surprise other teams as well, they’re a really good outfit and I think it’s going to be tight all around this tournament.
“It’s important that we get that enthusiasm back to go and deliver a great game.
“England are a team who have had good results recently, they’ve been consistent.
“A result against England obviously will turn everything around and put us on the right track to win this tournament.”
De Villiers insisted the magnitude of this weekend’s match against their bitter rivals will ensure there is no lingering deflation in the Scottish camp.
“On Sunday everyone needs a pick-up because it’s obviously a big disappointment, but I think everyone is squarely back on the horse,” said the South African-born coach.
“With such a big game coming up, the passion that is around this game ignites everyone to the top level. The concentration levels are there and the excitement is there.
“There will always be outside noise going on, that’s the nature of this game.
“It’s high-stakes, it’s Six Nations, and if you don’t get results, fans out there will be disappointed and people will obviously look into things and maybe want change.
“But for us nothing changes in terms of what we do on a day-to-day basis.
“Yes, we would have liked a better result but this weekend is a perfect opportunity to go and do it in a high-stakes game where both teams will be very passionate and driven to deliver a result.”
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