The Spirit of Rugby - Calcutta Cup Review with Scotland's Biggest Fan and Doddie'5 Tartan

It's been a rugby filled weekend, starting with the Launch of Doddie'5 tartan on Friday morning. Doddie'5 tartan is a project that we have been excited about for months so having designed it with Doddie, watched it as it was woven and came off the loom, and then made into Doddie's magnificient suit and mountains of ties and tams, it feels great to share this exciting news with the rugby community.

I followed the launch up with a trip to Scotstoun Stadium (home to Glasgow Warriors) to see Scotland Women take on England in the Women's 6 Nations Championship. The Scottish ladies really did give it their all and a fantastic try from Jade Konkel in the 17th minute took the score to 14-8, it looked like we were in for a close one but in the end unfortunately it was a loss with the final score being 43-8 to England. There was fantastic support for the women with a record crowd of 3,278 in attendance keeping the girls in good spirit. We caught up with a few of the team and match referee Joy Neville sporting Doddie'5 tartan tammie hats after the match.

Of course Saturday was the main event, the Calcutta cup, the match that every Scotland fan had been waiting for. After a disappointing defeat last year at Twickenham the team were determined to make amends this year. The walk from Waverely Station to Murrayfield gave us a chance to soak up the atmosphere and you could tell how excited and anxious the crowds were and that everyone was hoping that this would be the year. This is the first year I've gone for a season pass and I have to say it's totally worth it! You soon get to know the rest of the crowd in your section and you really do feel part of a community. (Shout out to the fans from North 3!)

There is one Scotland Fan in particular who has become a bit of a celebrity in the world of Scotland Supporters. Amanda Gautherin who lives and works in Paris and travels back to Edinburgh for each of the home matches has been picked up on TV numerous matches. Always sporting her number 14 shirt with a Saltire behind her the cameras sort her every time. The shirt was a gift from Sean Lamont, Scotland's third most capped player. This time after an epic journey from Mexico to Murrayfield following a work trip Amanda added Doddie'5 Tartan Tam to her outfit and the camera's were back once again. This time not only was she spotted on TV but this match has also made it in to both the Sun and the Scotsman.

Back to the match itself. After an early penalty we were in the lead and despite England equalising we went on to score three tries before half time, with two out of three being scored by Huw Jones who was on fire! In the second half England did make a slight comeback leaving us with hearts in mouths after a try from Owen Farrell, England's only point scorer during the match, but we managed to regain control and hold on for a historic victory. When we won I let out quite a scream, of course I completely forgot about this in all the excitement and found a video on my phone on Sunday morning which provided lots of entertainment for my family! John Barclay proudly collected the cup from The Princess Royal before returning to the pitch for team photos and a victory lap around the stadium. I've never seen the crowd sing, dance and cheer for so long after a match, I think everyone was in shock and didn't want such a moment to end. Edinburgh was ecstatic, the city celebrated in style on Saturday and why not?

Doddie himself was hosting a hospitality box for over 600 people during and after the match and finally got to show of his new tartan suit in style. Later on Saturday evening attending a dinner with the Princess Royal in attendance. We hear she was a fan!

Of course the 6 Nations isn't over just yet and although this was the last of the home matches we still have Ireland and Italy to come. Are you lucky enough to be jetting off to either match? We have a vision of creating a a stadium full of Doddie'5 tartan tams and we'd love to see any photos rocking the tammie.