At long last England have shaken off their Calcutta Cup blues. Never in the previous 153 years of this fixture had Scotland managed five successive wins over the auld enemy and another tartan triumph really would have had them dancing in the streets of Galashiels in Bill McLaren’s memory. This was a desperately tight old battle, though, with a second gripping home victory in consecutive games only secured right at the death.
In the end it all hinged on whether Finn Russell could land the angled conversion following Duhan van der Merwe’s 79th-minute try. Up went the ball, end over end, and for the first half of its flight it seemed Scotland might be celebrating once more. Agonisingly for the visitors, though, it then curved just wide of the left-hand upright to leave England, to their immense relief, still alive in the title race.
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It was hard not to feel sympathy for Russell, whose side registered three tries to one and were much the better attacking force behind the scrum. Once again, though, England managed to hang tough when it really mattered, a long raking last quarter penalty from Fin Smith proving just enough to stem the tide of modern history. The middle weekend of the Six Nations championship is often a defining one and England will cling to this result as further evidence their fortunes are looking up.
The old adage normally has it that forwards decide matches and backs determine by how much. It was eventually proved true in this case, too, but only just. Scotland’s threequarter line were a constant threat, dark blue predators throughout, showing exactly why they will probably supply a clutch of British & Irish Lions in Australia this summer.
For all England’s pre-game bullishness, the recent history of this fixture should also have forewarned them. One Red Rose win in the previous seven games between the teams could hardly be dismissed as a fluke and the hosts needed all the bench horsepower they could muster to allow Maro Itoje to hoist the famous old trophy and prevent another Gregor Townsend-inspired heist.
England might have been the fortunate beneficiaries of French largesse earlier this month but, on a dry mild day, these visitors were more ruthless with the opposition line in sight for long periods. Scotland’s game was built on the three ‘A’s that so often underpin their best performances: ambition, aggression and, most crucially of all, accuracy, but, ultimately, England’s scramble defence and superior kicking off the tee proved the difference.
It added up to another gripping example of why this has become one of the calendar’s most entertaining contests and another grand occasion in a season increasingly full of them.
Temperature wise it also felt less like winter and more like spring. Scotland, furthermore, had spent the buildup training in Spain and began as if they were participating in a summer sevens tournament. With England already back-pedalling, Van der Merwe surged past Ollie Lawrence’s tackle and fed Tom Jordan, who rifled a sensational long inside pass to the supporting Ben White, who scored with ease.
England managed a swift response when Tommy Freeman, with advantage being played, crashed through Russell and Jordan, and Marcus Smith’s conversion recaptured the advantage for his side. Scotland, though, were still looking confident with ball in hand and only a couple of small set-piece errors temporarily spared England from further inconvenience.
It was not a huge surprise, then, when Scotland conjured another ripper of a try. Kyle Rowe, roaming hungrily off his wing, fed Blair Kinghorn, who set Van der Merwe free down the same left touchline. This time the man lurking on the inside was Huw Jones who smashed past Ollie Sleightholme to give the visitors further encouragement.
It was a far cry from Scotland’s disappointing effort against Ireland last time out. Maybe there is a psychological block they struggle to overcome in that fixture; the merest glimpse of a white shirt, however, and they come alive. Tactically they also have a keen sense of where England’s vulnerabilities might lie and their pace and incision in the wider channels frequently made life a nightmare for England’s overstretched defence.
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In Russell, they also have a player who has learned not to overplay his hand. Only in the scrum did the home side enjoy much in the way of consistent joy and, just before half-time, another set-piece penalty led to England’s most dangerous attacking surge of the opening 40 minutes. Only an excellent tackle from Van der Merwe stopped a speeding Marcus Smith from going all the way to the line but, with the try still crying out to be scored, Lawrence’s attempted ‘cat flap’ offload to Sleightholme flew wastefully into touch.
The permanent loss of No 8 Tom Willis at the interval and Tom Curry within seven minutes of the restart were further blows but surely England would prove more incisive in the second half regardless? Their kick-heavy diet was beginning to earn boos from their own supporters and handing Scotland’s backs free ball was a plan with a good deal of risk attached to it.
A fine stop tackle by Fin Smith on Jordan, though, underlined the hosts’ continuing desire and a 56th-minute penalty from Marcus Smith drew them level . In similar circumstances against France they had managed to kick off the bend but this was a different kind of contest, against more focused opponents. Even at 16-10 up, with England finally, looking safe, up popped Van der Merwe to scare the living daylights out of them. This time, though, Russell could not quite nail down the coffin lid.
