First impressions count for a lot in a Six Nations championship. It is not an infallible law – England won the title in 2020 despite losing their opening game in Paris – but teams who start fast often gain crucial momentum. Those who do not – and England have now fallen at the first hurdle for the fourth year on the trot – have it all to do.
Congratulations, consequently, are due to Scotland for having applied a painful thistle to English backsides in round one in each of the last three seasons. The 29-23 Calcutta Cup victory on Saturday might just have been their most satisfying given they scored four tries away from home and headed home with a bonus point that could prove handy down the tartan track.
