Princess Anne in awkward moment with Scotland Six Nations star caught live on ITV
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu's attempted hug with Princess Anne was captured on ITV cameras during the Calcutta Cup presentation at Murrayfield
Scotland skipper Sione Tuipulotu experienced an uncomfortable exchange with Princess Anne whilst collecting the Calcutta Cup after defeating England. Scotland emerged as convincing 31-20 victors in Saturday's Six Nations encounter at Murrayfield, propelling them to the summit of the table. The triumph brought England's impressive 12-match winning run to an abrupt halt.
The result provided welcome respite for embattled head coach Gregor Townsend following the previous weekend's disappointing 18-15 loss to Italy in their Six Nations curtain-raiser. The success meant Scotland secured the Calcutta Cup for the seventh occasion in nine attempts.
Princess Anne, fresh from attending the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, presented the silverware, though the ceremony produced an uncomfortable incident. Footage shown live on ITV showed Scotland's Tuipulotu acknowledging members of the royal box whilst approaching the trophy, which Princess Anne was holding.
Upon reaching the Royal, he attempted to embrace her, but she stepped back, placed her hand on his shoulder and spoke briefly to him before presenting the cup. Supporters were swift to notice the cringeworthy moment and share the footage across social media platforms.
Nevertheless, it's unlikely to have diminished the Scotland captain's joy following such a significant triumph before an electric home support. Reflecting afterwards, Tuipulotu told BBC Sport: "I'm extremely proud.
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"To go through what we went through last week really hurt and we understood because we deserved it. Ultimately Italy were better than us. We really felt like our backs were against the wall and we showed up today.
"I felt guilty. Head coaching is a hard job because when it is going well you get all the positives but when it is not going well you get all of the criticism. We got behind our coach this week. I'm proud of the boys for getting behind our coach and delivering a performance."
Scotland will return to the field next Saturday, facing Wales at the Millennium Stadium (4.40pm). Wales, who are hosting France today, will be aiming to bounce back from their 48-7 defeat to England in their opening Six Nations match last week.
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