Scotland under-20 coach Eamon John praised the contribution of points hero Peter Horne following the team’s thrilling 18-17 win over Wales but stressed the result had been a team effort.

With unerring accuracy, Horne successfully kicked six penalties to ensure Scotland defeated Wales for only the fourth time in 26 matches at either under-20 or under-21 level.

As a result, Scotland – with Chris Fusaro, Richie Gray and Robbie Johnston all shining – clung on to clinch victory, even though Wales scored tries at the end of each half.

John congratulated Horne on his tally and revealed he had helped to pre-empt the points haul with a pre-match pep talk.

John said: “I said to Peter before the game to make sure the press headlines were about him the following day and that is exactly what he did.

“But all the boys deserve a special mention because of the way they put their bodies on the line for the cause.
“This group of players showed real maturity. We wanted to put a smile on the faces of our supporters and we did that.”

Team manager John Jeffrey echoed John’s thoughts and said: “The battle is now won. It would have been a travesty if we hadn’t won and the players really deserve their success.

“But we won’t get too carried away because we will be back playing against France in seven day’s time.”