Princess Anne’s true colours caught on TV after awkward moment | Rugby | Sport

It was deja vu for Scotland rugby captain Sione Tuipulotu, who was once again denied a hug by Princess Anne. The centre had been involved in an awkward moment with the Princess Royal following Scotland’s win over England during the Calcutta Cup presentation earlier in the Six Nations.

The two of them came face-to-face once again on Saturday, with Tuipulotu this time collecting a trophy after his Scotland side beat France in emphatic fashion. Upon locking eyes with Princess Anne, Tuipulotu opened up his arms to joke about their previous encounter from a few weeks prior.

Princess Anne did, however, see the funny side, with the daughter of Elizabeth II quick to laugh off Tuipulotu’s attempts at a warmer embrace. The two of them had big smiles on their faces and shared a short conversation before Tuipulotu lifted the Alliance Trophy above his head in celebration.

It was a momentous day for Tuipulotu and his Scotland team-mates, as the win keeps alive hopes of a first championship in the Six Nations era. They’ll travel to Dublin next week knowing a win against Ireland, as well as an England win against France, will give them an unlikely title triumph.

Scotland lost their opening match of this year’s Six Nations campaign against Italy, but have rallied since and could yet make history. Reacting to the win, Gregor Townsend reiterated his belief in his players and urged them to keep focused ahead of next weekend’s decider.

He told the BBC: “It was a brilliant day, brilliant day for our supporters. Not just the rugby we played, but the mindset to keep attacking, a lot of teams would sit on that lead against France.

“We know the best way of winning is playing like what got us that success in the first half. I believed in the team. Our game is built to put some of our best strike players in the game into space and they built phase after phase and grew in confidence. You need painful moments and defeat to make you the team you’re going to be. Italy is part of the journey.”