Glasgow Warriors ace Peter Horne is savouring the feel good factor in the Scotland camp – and is urging his team-mates to keep it rolling into the Six Nations.

Horne was one of Scotland’s star performers during Saturday’s record-busting 53-24 win over Australia at Murrayfield as Gregor Townsend’s troops ended the Autumn Test series in rampant form.

And Horne, 28, said: “We’ve been talking about how the belief in the squad is really changing. Probably in the last few years, you wouldn’t leave the changing room thinking: “we’re going to beat this Australian side today’. But that was certainly the mood in the camp this time. It was the same with the All Blacks too. That’s why we were all so distraught to lose that game.

“Against New Zealand we made a bit of a statement, showing that if we keep hold of the ball we can cut up one of the best teams in the world. Thankfully we have backed that up against a really good Aussie side and put them to the sword. Maybe in the past we’ve not been clinical enough. So eight tries is pretty cool.

“But we really need to keep kicking on. We don’t want to take one step forward and two back. It’s important that we knuckle down in the next few months and come out all guns blazing in the Six Nations.”

Horne was a drafted into Townsend’s starting line-up on Friday as a replacement for Alex Dunbar while the re-jigging continued right up until kick-off with Byron McGuigan coming in as a last gasp switch for Stuart Hogg.

Dunbar is the defence captain for Scotland but Horne can fulfil many of those roles too and once again demonstrated the versatility of a Swiss Army knife.

He added: “Although Alex and I are different, I try to have my imprint on the game. There have been a lot of things I had to work on. Last season, I was maybe a bit off the ball on defence. But it’s an aspect of my game that is really coming back again. That’s something that Alex is brilliant at. And I aspire to be like him a bit more. He defends so well, he’s our defensive leader. When I come in, I’ve got to fill those shoes. The Aussies are a really good attacking threat, so it’s a real challenge. I just see it as an opportunity if I get a run.

Despite the various shufflings, choppings and changings, the Scots adapted and produced a performance of boundless verve that roused the senses, raised the spirits and illustrated the depth of talent in the ranks.

“The only thing Gregor will ever fault you on is work rate,” noted Horne. “If you’re not working hard then you’re not going to play. He doesn’t ever put the shackles on expressing yourself. He encourages Finn (Russell), Ali (Price), myself and the boys to go out there and express ourselves.

“It doesn’t matter who is playing. Whoever gets the jersey is expected to do the job. So we didn’t have Hoggy against Australia and I think a few people in the stands would have been grumbling when they saw him go off in the warm-up.

“But Byron comes in and gets man of the match, Sean (Maitland) is outstanding at full-back, Ruaridh Jackson comes on to the bench and he’s having a cracking season. Within the squad, you have to put it out of your mind and be chuffed for the next boy getting his opportunity. Everybody is taking it at the moment.”