By Charlie Bennett at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Finn Russell’s last-gasp conversion miss denied Scotland an historic victory as England won the Calcutta Cup for the first time in five years with a 16-15 win at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
Scotland appeared set to snatch the win when Duhan van der Merwe crossed for a try with less than 90 seconds to go, closing the gap to one point and handing Russell the chance to win it from the tee.
But, from a tricky angle wide to the left, he tugged his kick marginally wide, and, while Scotland had the chance to march the field and win it again from the kick-off, England won back the ball and cemented victory.
It was a low-quality, error-strewn but still thrilling Calcutta Cup win that backs up England’s victory against France from a fortnight ago and keeps their hopes of winning the Guinness Six Nations alive.
Scotland will rue a missed opportunity to win this fixture for a record fifth year in a row after bossing England in the first half.
They led 10-7 at the break thanks to tries from Ben White and Huw Jones, his sixth against England, but should have led by more after failing to make the most of a dominant performance.
Tommy Freeman’s try was all England could muster in the first 40 but a defensive re-set at half-time stemmed Scotland’s gainline dominance and provided the platform for an England win.
Marcus Smith and Fin Smith kicked three penalties between them to put England 16-10 ahead, before Van der Merwe, England’s tormentor-in-chief during Scotland’s four-year run in this fixture, set up the grandstand finale.
The powerful winger was almost unplayable in the first half and it took him just four minutes to make an impact as Scotland raced out of the traps.
For once, he was the creator rather than the finisher for Scotland’s opening try, as he evaded two tackles in midfield and released Tom Jordan down the left-hand side. England’s defence was splintered and Jordan sprinted down the wing before passing inside to White for the score.
England hit back almost immediately, with their patience inside the Scotland 22 rewarded when Freeman muscled his way over from close range. But that was as good as it got in a first half that saw them stuck in their own half, as Scotland dominated possession and territory. Scotland’s only frustration would have been only adding one further try to their total.
In fairness, it was another beauty as they again found space down the left to create a brilliant try to regain the lead. For all of the data analysis and forensic preparation, the Scottish tactic was remarkably simple: get the ball to Van der Merwe.
The winger was at the heart of the move once more, muscling his way through a Marcus Smith tackle before slipping in centre Jones to barrel his way over in the corner, as Scotland went from a maul on the right to a try on the left in the blink of an eye.
Russell again tugged his conversion attempt wide, restricting Scotland’s lead to three, and that was how it to stayed until half-time, in what was a relief for England, who spent much of the final 15 minutes on the back foot and fending off a Scottish onslaught.
Indeed, England should have snatched the lead with the last play of the half. Ollie Lawrence broke through a tackle in midfield and released Marcus Smith into open space. The full-back sprinted into Scotland’s 22 but was unable to find a supporting teammate for what would surely have been a try, despite five in the vicinity. His delay allowed Scotland to bring him down, before Lawrence misjudged an offload in the corner and the ball went dead, preserving Scotland’s lead.
With England’s defence notably more organised in the second half, handling errors leaked into both sides game, with Scotland’s Zander Fagerson and England’s Marcus Smith spilling the ball while in promising positions inside the 22.
Smith levelled the score at 10-10 in the 55th minute as the momentum from the first half had left Scotland, and they did not help themselves. Russell failed to make touch with a penalty kick to the corner, while Kyle Rowe coughed up a penalty for head-on-head contact with Ollie Chessum.
That allowed Fin Smith to kick to the corner, and from the resulting attack, England won a penalty advantage, which Marcus Smith turned into three points from the tee to put them 13-10 ahead.
They then stretched their lead by three more shortly after when Scotland were penalised on the halfway line, and Fin Smith smashed it through the upright with his first goal-kick of the game.
Down by six, Scotland needed a try and they were given field position by some panicky England mistakes, and they conjured some magic with less than two minutes to go when Stafford McDowall made a break from midfield and the ball was moved left to Van der Merwe to score.
Russell’s miss left Scotland needing a miracle and when they were held up in the tackle on halfway, the streak was officially ended.
