Darcy Graham says pressure is now on 'best Scotland team in a generation' going into 2025 Six Nations

Scotland winger Darcy Graham says now is the time for them to push on and win a major trophy after a successful Autumn Nations Test Series that ended with a 27-13 win over Australia at Murrayfield.

The 27-year old, who is now the nation’s second all time top try scorer after Duhan van der Merwe once again nudged ahead of him in the standings, believes the current crop of players is one of the best in a generation. With that comes a degree of pressure to deliver real success but he is confident that is something they can achieve.

“I think we're in a really good spot,” said Graham. “Confidence is there. Everybody knows their roles. That's a massive part and I can't speak highly enough of Sione. He's been awesome, a brilliant captain choice. It's the way he speaks around camp, you're just drawn to listen to him.

“He's the kind of captain you want to follow into battle. I love playing with him. Team-wise, confidence is there. Putting it all together, going into Six Nations, those five games, it's going to be massive. The pressure is on us. It probably is one of the best Scotland teams in a generation. We need to win something. The pressure is on us. It's just exciting times ahead.

“We need to take massive confidence from that game (against Australia). That pressure is a good thing. It's just about rising up to it. You do need a wee bit of pressure on yourself. As a team, I think we know where we're at. We know where we can get better. It's exciting times ahead.”

Pushed on what he feels makes this current team so special, Graham added: “I think it's the talent. The individuals. The whole squad. We've got world-class players everywhere. It's just about doing something with that.”

Looking back on the Autumn Series as a whole, and ahead to next year’s Six Nations Championship, Graham wasn’t getting too carried away. However, it is clear for all to see that this Scotland team is primed and in a good position, with a fantastic mix of international experience and quality, to really challenge for that title.

Graham said: “I think where Scotland is at now, that's where we should be pushing. We want to be playing top four teams all the time. Obviously, that South Africa game was gutting, but I think we backed up well (against Australia).

“They beat England, beat Wales. They're a quality team, so it just shows where we're at as a team. Now it's just getting ready to get excited for Six Nations, which will fly in. It felt like a big win to end the year.

“ If you can win those first two (Six Nations games), going into the third away would be massive. It's just about keeping the boys fit. Keeping a full strength team in the next two months. We want to be flying into that Six Nations, our full strength team. Keeping everybody fit is the challenging part.”

Asked why this Scotland team is different to others from recent years, who were also tipped to challenge for the Six Nations title, Graham added: "I think it's confidence. The more you play with the boys, the more you start understanding them. The coaching setup we've got now is world class. Everybody brings different parts into training. Honestly, it's class. It's such a good setup.

“It's such a good vibe around camp. I think boys enjoy coming into camp and working hard for each other. When you get wins like that, it's so worth it. It's exciting. It's just pushing on to that and getting more of those wins.”