Hamish Watson believes Scotland and France are already under pressure in the Six Nations
Thursday 8 February 2018 10:20, UK
Hamish Watson admits Scotland and France must bounce straight back after both sides suffered defeats in the opening round of Six Nations matches.
Much had been expected of Scotland going into the tournament but they suffered a 34-7 defeat in Wales, while France were beaten 15-13 by Ireland in Paris after Jonny Sexton kicked a last-minute drop-goal.
The sides face each other at Murrayfield on Sunday and Edinburgh flanker Watson is hoping Scotland can return to winning ways.
"Obviously expectations have risen over the last year because we're doing well," said Watson. "But as players we've got to handle that pressure better.
"I think both teams are going to go into the game having lost the first game so we need to win.
"Our fans expect us to nowadays, which is great, but we've got a lot of pressure on us as well, so we need to go into the game, be positive and try to play the same as we've been doing at Murrayfield for the last year."
Watson admitted he understood fans' frustrations following the defeat at the Principality Stadium but assured them they are keen to make amends.
"I'd say it's expected to get a bit of a backlash after a loss like that," he added.
"I don't think many people were expecting it and the fans are probably quite right to be a bit hacked off after a game like that, but no-one's hurting more than the players, so we need to put it right as well.
"We need to go out and be positive and obviously it's a must-win game for us if we want to have anything to do with this championship, but it's must-win for France as well, so it's going to be a tough game."
