England began their Six Nations campaign on a hugely disappointing note as they blew a late seven-point lead at Murrayfield to gift the Calcutta Cup to Scotland.
Will Macpherson was in Edinburgh to run the rule over Eddie Jones’ players...
Backs
15 Freddie Steward - 5
The toughest game of his short England career? Had some good moments and has all the ingredients to be outstanding, but sliced a kick and dropped a high ball under no pressure.
14 Max Malins - 7
Was a busy boy, clocking up more than 100m across nine carries, and was safe under the high ball. Has a lovely all-court game.
13 Elliot Daly - 6
Back in his preferred position for the first time since November 2016. A promising start, but snuffed out by Chris Harris. Ideally, England would have had a bit more clout in the centre.
12 Henry Slade - 6
As one of three vice-captains, Slade suddenly felt like the wise old head of this backline, having been the coming man for so long. Was much more in the thick of it than he sometimes is, but didn’t find too much headway.
11 Joe Marchant - 5
A tough ask to come straight in after a week in isolation, and was a peripheral figure. Missed a tackle on Darcy Graham – who had a sensational game – for Scotland’s first try, and did not see much ball. Was a surprise that Jack Nowell was not seen sooner.
10 Marcus Smith - 8
This was Smith’s first international away from Twickenham, and his Six Nations debut. He looked assured and lively, and scored all of England’s points. Was excellent, but not perfect, missing one kick for goal, one for touch, and one cross kick.
9 Ben Youngs - 6
Accounted for about a quarter of England’s caps, but did not provide the solidity they required. There was a first-half break and his pass for Smith’s try was neat, but some of his box-kicking was inaccurate and he should have been zippier.
Forwards
1 Ellis Genge - 6
Was England’s match-winner off the bench in awful conditions at Murrayfield two years ago, and was handed a start and leadership responsibility this time. Gave away a key penalty on the stroke of half-time, that Russell kicked.
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie - 5
A wild old game for one of Jones’ new vice-captains. Did his nuts and bolts well, hitting his man at the lineout. But should not have kicked the ball in Scotland’s 22, and his slap into touch was hugely costly for England. Should not have been left in that situation, however.
3 Kyle Sinckler - 7
Got around the park, working hard in the tight and loose, and was part of a dominant scrum before going off after around an hour.
4 Maro Itoje - 6
Not at his most conspicuous in attack or defence, and gave away three penalties. Is such a nuisance at opposition lineouts.
5 Nick Isiekwe - 6
Back after almost four years in the international wilderness, and brought solidity to the set-piece (as illustrated by its struggles after he went off late on). Did give away two penalties and Graham breezed past him for Scotland’s first try.
6 Lewis Ludlam - 8
Handy at the lineout, carried mighty hard, and made plenty of metres. A really impressive return to England’s first-choice team. It was a surprise that Dombrandt came on for him, not Simmonds.
7 Tom Curry (c) - 7
This was his first Test as captain, and he is just 23. His communication with the referee was calm and there was no drop-off in his performance (he topped England's tackle count, as he often does). However, he does have to take responsibility for the team’s collective failure in the final quarter.
8 Sam Simmonds - 6
Made a really fine start to the game, running hard in wide channels, but faded and did not have the impact he would have hoped as the game slipped away in the second half.
Selected subs
16 Jamie George - 5
Often when George is on the bench, Jones leaves it too late to bring him on. And so it was here. Should have come on as soon as Cowan-Dickie went to the bin, leading to Marler’s lineout farce at a vital moment. Then had a lineout of his own missed.
17 Joe Marler - 6
Hard to blame him for the lineout mess at such a crucial juncture. Part of a scrum that England felt was dominant at the end, but not dominant enough to win a penalty.
22 George Ford - 5
Brought on for Smith to close out a win, but could not find the moment of attacking genius that was required with the final play of the game.
