Autumn Nations Cup: Fraser Brown looking forward to return of Scotland fans to Murrayfield

Scotland hooker is counting down the days until the national team can play in front of a full Murrayfield after the weekend defeat against France in front of 67,000 empty seats

Scotland hooker Fraser Brown hopes Sunday's defeat by France will be the last time he has to run out at an eerie Murrayfield.

Gregor Townsend's team were again faced with 67,000 empty seats as they faced up to Fabien Galthie's side.

And how they could have done with the ferocious backing they usually receive on home soil as Les Bleus eked out a tight 22-15 Autumn Nation Cup win.

Much of the country remains under strict coronavirus restrictions but Brown can finally see light at the end of the tunnel, with promising news emerging in recent days on the development of various vaccines.

And he hopes at least some of those seats will be filled when Wales are welcomed to Edinburgh for the Scots' opening game of next year's Guinness Six Nations on February 13.

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"I think it is a great hope for everyone in world rugby, and the wider world to be honest," said the Glasgow forward. "If we start getting fans back at Murrayfield then that means there is some level of normality in society at large.

"At the minute, it has been brilliant to get some Test rugby played but, obviously, the fans are a huge part of generating the atmosphere which pushes us on to go out and perform at our best.

"So having them back here whether it is for the Six Nations or whenever it is would be brilliant for us, and brilliant in the wider context."

Unfortunately for Townsend's squad, the consequences of Covid disruption remain an everyday reality at present.

Instead of spending this week preparing for their final Group B clash against Fiji, the Scots will have their feet up for the next few days after seeing Saturday's clash cancelled on the back of a major outbreak in the Pacific Islanders squad.

A number of Townsend's fringemen - such as third-choice hooker George Taylor - were expecting to get the chance to press their case for more action with a run-out.

Townsend was expected to name an experimental side for the now-cancelled Fiji game (AP)

That opportunity to impress now appears gone, with the head coach expected to name a full-strength line-up when Scotland complete the tournament in a fortnight's time - presumably in the third-place place-off, with France needing only a win against Italy in Paris next week to seal their place in the final.

But Brown can still see merit in the decision to plough on with the Autumn Nations Cup despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic.

"I think it's been a good idea," said the 31-year-old. "It has been important to get Test rugby back on, for ourselves as players and for spectators.

"Putting it in a table and trying to qualify as high as possible for the play-offs adds competition and that can only be a good thing. You've got something to win at the end of the tournament - something to work towards - so I think it has been a really good innovation.

"However, it is hugely disappointing not being able to play next week for a number of reasons. Obviously, we want to play Test rugby and I'm sure there would have been a few opportunities for guys who maybe haven't featured up until now, and it would have been another great spectacle because Fiji here is always a great game.

"But it does provides us with a couple of days to rest up - there are a few sore bodies to recover - and it gives us a long lead-up into the finals weekend against either England or Ireland, so that will give us a little bit of extra time to review and preview."

The battle for Scotland's number two jersey has been a two-way fight in recent years between Brown and Stuart McInally.

But the emergence of Turner - who now has four tries in eight Test appearances - has made the situation more complicated.

"I've been working with George for a number of years now and he's a brilliant player," said Brown.

"People have probably seen snippets of the quality he's got during the last few weeks and having that depth in quality is really important to pushing people on.

"It means you can't have games where you don't play near your best if you have that competition behind you, so it encourages you, spurs you on, makes you improve, and evaluate where you are and how to get better."

PA