Six Nations: Sam Skinner breaks silence on Scotland try against France that never was - ‘I know I scored it’

Scotland second row insists he has moved on from contentious decision

Scotland's Sam Skinner after last month's win over England. Skinner has been involved in all three of Scotland's Guinness Six Nations matches this season. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Having been at the centre of arguably the most contentious moment involving Scotland in Six Nations history, Sam Skinner is understandably keen to move on from ‘try-gate’.

The big second row is adamant he grounded the ball against France last month but has sympathy for the referee and his focus now is on preparing for the round four match with Italy on Saturday.

Skinner played for Edinburgh against Ospreys on Friday night, helping edge out the Welsh visitors 19-15. It was an important win and meant some valuable game-time for the player who is looking forward to rejoining the Scotland camp this week ahead of the trip to Rome.

Speaking for the first time since the 20-16 defeat by France in which the Scots were controversially denied victory after the officials decided against awarding them a late try when Skinner grounded the ball, he was admirably magnanimous about the incident.

“What do I say? It’s what makes sport great, but it’s so rubbish for us,” he said. “I know I scored it but at the same time we’ve moved on. It’s sport. I wouldn’t want to be a referee. Hopefully we’re owed a good one. It’s a kick in the nuts but that’s life. I came on for seven minutes and go and do that. It’s just the way it is.”

Skinner has been used as a sub in all three of Scotland’s Six Nations matches so far and while he’d love to be starting, he appreciates he plays in a position where he is competing against the likes of Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings and Glen Young for a starting berth. He believes it’s emblematic of the quality throughout Gregor Townsend’s side.

“We’ve got such an exciting squad with depth,” he said. “The coaching set-up, we’ve genuinely got world-class coaches where they give us a clear game-plan. Finn [Russell] is the complete player – we've got total faith in him. It’s a great environment to be in. As a person and player you get to go in and give it your best, I love it.”

Having missed the first half of the season with a knee injury that proved more complicated than originally thought, Skinner is still feeling his way back to a certain extent. He had started only two games for Edinburgh going into the Six Nations but is getting sharper and stronger and certainly looked the part on Friday night against a stubborn Ospreys side. Edinburgh now have eight wins from their opening 11 URC fixtures going into the two-week international window. With a tough-looking tour to South Africa up next which will see them play the Stormers and Sharks, Skinner is looking to help Edinburgh cement a top-eight place after they missed out on the play-offs last season.

“We’re eight from 11 which is outstanding but let’s be brutal, we’re in a battle when we could be quite comfortable if we’d been more ruthless. That’s where we are. It’s a lot better than we were last year at this point, but we’ve just got to find that killer instinct.

“It is a really important win but five points would have been helpful because we need them. It’s a competitive league.”