Scotland boss Scott Johnson believes that his team are still in the running for the Six Nations crown despite losing on the opening weekend against England.

Scotland picked up their first win of the tournament with a 34-10 success over Italy at the weekend, but Johnson has called on his players to improve.

"We are really happy with the scoreboard and who wouldn't be? But we are in a championship and we want to win the championship. Whilst there were some really good things in that game and much improvement in areas we needed to improve in, there is still plenty left out on that pitch," Johnson told reporters.

"We did really well in the defence for most of the game and there was a real turning point when Hoggy took it from one end of the field to the other, which was really a 14-point turnaround. But the events that occurred just beforehand were disappointing. The scoreboard could have changed really quickly.

"We just have to keep doing our work. We have to keep improving. We're in a tournament and today's result puts us right in it. We're in this. We have to acknowledge that but I keep saying if we get our part right, we can put sides away from some distance because we have a potent back line.

Next up for Scotland is a clash against Ireland on February 24.