An awkward interaction between Princess Anne and Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu was captured by ITV cameras after the Calcutta Cup
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu found himself in an awkward moment with Princess Anne whilst collecting the Calcutta Cup following his side’s victory over England. The 31-20 win in Saturday’s Six Nations clash at Murrayfield sent Scotland top of the championship table before France’s commanding win over Wales on Sunday.
The victory offered much-needed relief for under-pressure head coach Gregor Townsend after the previous weekend’s disappointing 18-15 defeat to Italy in their Six Nations opener.
The win meant Scotland claimed the Calcutta Cup for the seventh time in nine encounters and reclaimed the trophy after narrowly losing to England the previous year.
Princess Anne, who had just returned from attending the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, was on hand to present the trophy, though the ceremony produced an uncomfortable exchange.
Live footage broadcast on ITV captured Scotland’s Tuipulotu acknowledging those in the royal box as he approached the silverware, which Princess Anne was holding.
As he reached the Royal, he moved to embrace her, but she took a step back, placed her hand on his shoulder and had a brief word with him before handing over the cup. Fans were quick to spot the awkward moment and circulated the footage across social media.
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However, it’s doubtful the incident dampened the Scotland captain’s delight following such an important victory in front of a passionate home crowd. Speaking afterwards, Tuipulotu told BBC Sport: “I’m extremely proud.
“To go through what we went through last week really hurt and we understood because we deserved it. Ultimately Italy were better than us. We really felt like our backs were against the wall and we showed up today.
“I felt guilty. Head coaching is a hard job because when it is going well you get all the positives but when it is not going well you get all of the criticism.
“We got behind our coach this week. I’m proud of the boys for getting behind our coach and delivering a performance.”
Scotland will return to the field next Saturday, facing Wales at the Millennium Stadium (4.40pm). Wales, who are hosting France today, will be aiming to bounce back from their 48-7 defeat to England in their opening Six Nations match last week.
Scotland head into next Saturday’s clash against Wales (4.40pm) as heavy favourites following their Calcutta Cup triumph.
The Welsh were beaten 54-12 by France at the Principality Stadium on Sunday and thus will be looking to recover from two hammerings after losing 48-7 to England.
