Eddie Jones refused to blame Luke Cowan-Dickie for a painful opening Six Nations defeat as England suffered a second successive loss to Scotland for the first time in 38 years. The visitors had transformed a 10-6 half-time deficit into a 17-10 lead with 15 minutes left at Murrayfield after two penalties and a try from the fly-half Marcus Smith but the momentum swung decisively in the 66th minute when Scotland stand-off Finn Russell launched a crossfield kick towards wing Darcy Graham.
The airborne Cowan-Dickie patted it forward with both hands into touch and Ben O’Keeffe, the New Zealander referee, ruled the England hooker’s act was deliberate and awarded a penalty try, with the resultant yellow card leaving the visitors a man down at a critical juncture.
