Match report, reaction and analysis
Updated
Gregor Townsend is happy and given his opinions
“Some result for us and to do it in the last 5 minutes is emotionally huge. A much better second half from us, the message was we had to up our energy, and the more ambitious we got our backs caused some damage out there. Our effort and togetherness was there, but we need to be better and take the best of this into round two.”
Owen Farrell is giving his thoughts
“We started 11 days ago, and there’s been massive improvement that we wanted to show out on the field. We did that is some parts and not in others, but credit to the Scotland team and congratulations to them.
We stuck in, we played some good attacking rugby at times and we’ll have good look at everything else and we’ll get better. It felt good out there at times, but there were blips obviously.”
Here’s the winning try for your consideration…
What a try!
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 4, 2023
Deadly Duhan does it again for the bonus point.
This guy 🔥🔥#GuinnessSixNations | #ENGvSCO pic.twitter.com/N6Ue5T3yRj
Jamie Ritchie heads up the steps to collect the Calcutta Cup, shaking hands with Princess Anne and a very content looking John Jeffrey.
Duhan Van Der Merwe, sporting his Player of the Match medal, is chatting to ITV.
“We came here wanting to start the campaign on a high. We came out with a bang, we knew we needed to stay in the fight and we got the result. As a winger you don’t get many opportunities, so I knew I had to take them, that’s my job.
We spoke about getting our first win, and hopefully we’ll get our second next week.”
What a performance by Scotland, and what a player Van Der Merwe is!
England looked hugely improved with plenty to build on, but fell off badly in the last quarter which is a worry.
Updated
FULL TIME!
SCOTLAND WIN THE CALCUTTA CUP AGAIN!
79.5 mins. Penalty to Scotland! Jamie Ritchie clamps on for a captain’s intervention!
Updated
79 mins. Chessum takes front ball, but Scotland drive them back. The maul is stopped, meaning England have to spread the ball to the backs
78 mins. England have the ball on the Scottish 22 and they need a converted try as a penalty kick won’t do. They do have an advantage, after Scotland spoil the ball, which they can’t capitalise on so they kick to the corner…
TRY! England 23 - 29 Scotland (Duhan Van Der Merwe)
75 mins. On the next possession, Steyn is up the right and England looking knackered are offside once more. On the advantage, the ball is worked all the way left through hands all the way to Van Der Merwe who steps inside and bulldozes over despite the attention of a number of defenders.
Russell creams a lovely conversion over.
A huge five minutes for both sides incoming…
Updated
72 mins. Russell boots another one out on the full. He has wry smile on his face, which I doubt is shared by his team-mates and fans alike.
Luckily, England appear to be completely blunted at the minute, so there zero consequences to it.
70 mins. It’s another chance for Scotland to run from their own 22, and they take it with relish, before Dempsey throws the ball behind his support and into touch. OOPS!
England have a promising lineout position they do nowt with,
Ben White is off, replaced by Goerge Horne.
Blair Kinghorn has come on for Hogg.
Updated
PENALTY! England 23 - 22 Scotland (Finn Russell)
68 mins. Scotland are fizzing and popping the ball again, forcing England offside in defence. On the free play Russell whams the ball cross-field towards Steyn who is THIS close to gathering it, but the kick is ever so slightly overhit.
But they come back for the penalty and Russell bangs the ball over from the teem.
65 mins. Ben Earl is penalised for not supporting his weight. In an unsurprising development, Dallaglio on comms disagrees.
PENALTY! England 23 - 19 Scotland (Owen Farrell)
64 mins. England lose all momentum and pace in their attack and all Scotland needed to do was be patient and make them play; instead they put their hands all over the ball on the ground.
Farrell takes the three points.
63 mins. Dan Cole’s first action on his return to international rugby is to shove the Scotland scrum back and win a penalty. England are back in the 22, but the ball is a little slow as they reset and go again.
61 mins.
Nick Isiekwe comes on for Ben Curry.
Dan Cole replaces Kyle Sinckler
Mako Vunipola takes Ellis Genge’s place
60 mins. From their own 22, Scotland break up the right through Hogg, who has three runners inside him. But he throws a horrible pass behind Steyn who cant grip it and the attack crumples like a paper cup under the boot of a bloke who can’t pass.
59 mins.
Ben Youngs is on for Van Poortvliet
Jack Dempsey comes on for Luke Crosbie. Fraser Brown replaces Turner
WP Nel gives way to Simon Berghan
58 mins. England are ruthless with their advance in defence, forcing Scotland back in Russell to eventually boot a kick out on the full.
From the next attack Van Poortvliet nearly gets away and free from a snipe, but pops to the every present Chessum on his shoulder. The ball is moved left to Smith but he’s bundled into touch.
54 mins. Each time either side get the ball the possession settles into some quality phases. The latest is England who look dynamic and busy, before Van Poortvliet takes a kick over the top option but put far too much pasty on it and it goes dead.
Ben Earl is on for the impressive Dombrandt.
TRY! England 20 - 19 Scotland (Ben White)
51 mins. Another solid scrum from Scotland allows the backs to run a good first phase pattern. The England defence are flying up and if anything over commit in an attempt to bully Scotland, which leads to Curry flying past a spinning White who straightens and steps the last defender to score.
Russell slots the conversion.
Updated
TRY! England 20 - 12 Scotland (Ellis Genge)
48 mins. The ball is clean off the top and Dombrandt is brought from deep on the angle to suck in the Scotland defense. A brilliant line from the Number Eight allows for Genge to take the ball two phases later a couple of metres out and power over.
Farrell slots the two.
Updated
46 mins. It gets worse for Scotland as they concede a penalty at the scrum, as they are shoved backwards and wheeled. There was a sniff of Genge hitting late and not straight, but the ref is happy. England will have a lineout in the 22.
44 mins. Russell creams a huge penalty punt up to the England 22 and clean possession from the lineout allows them to move the ball left and right before a low pass can’t be held by Ritchie. Disappointing end to a promising attack.
42 mins. Another zippy first phase move off the top of the lineout puts England on the ball in the Scotland half, but the defence marshal well to leave Farrell with little choice to boot it away.
Scotland achieve little with their next possession
SECOND HALF!
Finn Russell chips up back in play.
Scotland will not be too troubled with this situation, though, as they’ve looked composed and very capable of scoring plenty themselves, as well as looking extremely comfortable at scrum time. The worry for them right now will be that in the latter part of the half, England were getting very quick ruck ball; Townsend will want more from his breakdown operators.
“Although England appear to have saucepans for hands at times tonight, and Kevin Sinfield is going to be breaking Dombrandt’s knees after that ‘tackling’ for the second try.” points out Andy Bradshaw, “Nick Evans has definitely given them an attacking shape we’ve not seen for ages.”
I agree Andy, there’s also confidence and fluidity after a few phases we’ve not seen in a while.
HALF TIME! England 13 -12 Scotland
PEEEP! A very enjoyable half comes to an end.
PENALTY! England 13 -12 Scotland (Owen Farrell)
40+2 mins. From the lineout, England are back in the Scotland 22, once again showing some nifty handling between forwards and backs. WP Nel is then penalised for not supporting his weight in the ruck.
Farrell looks to send his side into half time in the lead from the tee and finally slots one.
Updated
40mins. Steyn regathers the Scotland restart, which looks to put them in agood position before Genge clamps on to win a penalty at the breakdown.
TRY! England 10 - 12 Scotland (Max Malins)
38 mins. Van Der Merwe, all brawn and confidence, takes a towering catch which allows his side to clear the ball. England come back from the clearing kick, working the ball around the 10m line with pacey rucks and offloads before hands out right – including Genge and Ludlam with some outstandingly timed passes - find Malins to dart in and dab down.
Farrell shanks another conversion.
Updated
32 mins. England have a decent set of phases in the Scotland half, with Hassell-Collins getting a sniff of a gap out left that has the door shut. They are a little guilty of overworking it at times, and so it proves again as the ball is spilled after one too many forced offloads.
TRY! England 5 - 12 Scotland (Duhan Van Der Merwe)
29 mins. Good lord, some try this. The big winger has a dart from inside his own half, runs through a big gap, steps Steward and Van Poortvliet before fending off the last tackler Dombrandt to score.
Russell doesn’t converts it. But nevermind that: WHAT A TRY!
Updated
“As a long suffering Scotland fan”, begins Simon McMahon, “and after so many false dawns, I think this could be the year. I really do. A third place finish is within Scotland’s grasp.”
League within the league is very much a fact this year, isn’t it? It’s pretty much honours even so far, Simon, in this game of the best of the rest tournament.
Updated
TRY! England 5 - 7 Scotland (Max Malins)
24 mins. Posts option not taken by Farrell, instead the forward tap and go and after 13 phases looking like not much will be achieved the ball is chucked right. Some quick hands find Smith and he cross-kicks to Malins to score in acres of space on the dive.
Well worked try started by Malins’ opportunism and finished by his class.
Farrell misses a difficult conversion.
Updated
21 mins. After what looked like decent kick from Russell find grass in the middle of England’s players, Malins simply boots it forward on volley and chases, and it somehow evades everyone to give the England winger possession in the Scots’ 22.
Scotland scramble like crazy, but are offside. Penalty England.
16 mins. That is a brilliant opening for Scotland, both in terms of execution and the situation. England’s new hope has been punctured early, and the nature of the score exposed the England defensive system horribly.
TRY! England 0 - 7 Scotland (Huw Jones)
15 mins. A beautiful first phase move from Scotland, going over the top of the lineout, for Russell to feed a rapid Jones on a beautiful angle. He’s hauled down, but after a couple more phases a delicate kick from Tuipulotu is dribbled in-goal and Jones is up and first to it to score!
Russell converts
Updated
12 mins. From a lineout on halfway, England go off the top and we get to have a look at their new attacking shape, which looks to involve a few more forwards running off midfield runs, with Genge popping up between the 12 and 13 channel.
Scotland contain it all well, and have a lineout of their own.
9 mins. England have their first set of phases around the Scottish 22, with Farrell prominent; finding Marchant with a long pass, but at the next breakdown Steward is penalised for a neck roll.
7 mins. It’s another Scotland scrum, this time midway in their own half, and the early signs are they are getting the slight upper hand in the set piece. This leads to England engaging early and some kciking back and forth commences from the free kick before Russell slices one a bit and into touch.
4 mins. Scotland have a hugely impressive scrum around halfway, holding solid for ages, allowing Fagerson to feed White who switches the play to Russell for him to take it to the line, pop to Jones who boots a grubber for Van Der Merwe to chase.
Steward mops up and drives through Tuipulotu with his kick return.
2 mins. The ball is gathered in by the Scotland forwards before Russell boots it away, allowing Dombrandt to have big run back. A couple of phases later Smith drills a kick into the visitors’ 22 that is mopped up.
England already looking to have a bit more zip than recently.
Updated
KICK OFF!
Paul Williams, the NZ ref, blows hard on the peeper and Marcus Smith hoists the ball high into the South West London gloaming to get this show on the road
The teams are on their way out.
Joe Marchant is beaming a big smile, the sole indication of joy, amongst all the serious faces around him as the teams line up for the anthems.
Updated
Pre match reading
Our man Rob Kitson has a feeling this actually is a new England that is not simply looking for another girl. Read more about it here..
Teams
Borthwick hands a debut to Ollie Hassell-Collins, the London Irish winger who was perhaps due one sooner. Elsewhere in the backs Van Poortvliet is preferred over Ben Youngs and Joe Marchant, soon France-bound for his club employment, returns in the centre. Up front, Ben Curry is back in the international fold in place of his injured brother, Tom, while Dombrandt and Chessum refresh the pack also.
For Scotland, Chris Harris, considered the first name on the team sheet by many, is benched as Townsend prefers Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones in the centres. Ben White is in ahead of George Horne to partner Finn Russell at halfback.
England Freddie Steward; Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Owen Farrell (capt), Ollie Hassell-Collins; Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt.
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Ollie Lawrence, 23 Anthony Watson.
Scotland Stuart Hogg; Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, WP Nel, Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie (capt), Luke Crosbie, Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Jonny Gray, 20 Jack Dempsey, 21 George Horne, 22 Blair Kinghorn, 23 Chris Harris.
Preamble
It’s Calcutta Cup time, and for the first time in seven years, there’s no Eddie Jones to fill the column inches. Instead, new England coach Steve Borthwick will hope there will be more written about his side’s actual good performance than the nonsensical words his predecessor would use to pretend the showings in the last year were anything other than a bit crap.
The Cumbrian’s first task as he begins his international head coaching journey is to overcome an interesting Scotland selection from his opposite number, Gregor Townsend. In contrast, the Scots head coach is embarking on his own Frank Slade-esque tour of pleasures as his time in the job heads to a definite end sometime this coming autumn. The first pleasure he’s indulged appears to be picking a side to play rugby a breakneck speed, figuring if he only has a few matches left, he’s not going to die with the music in him.
Borthwick is looking to throw in some interesting riffs of his own, with a selection off the bat that looks mobile rather than meaty, and sticking with Marcus Smith at 10 despite many assuming it would be Farrell shifted back there.
History tells us England should sneak it, but a fascinating game awaits.
