Following a dramatic 16-15 victory for England over Scotland in the Calcutta Cup clash at Allianz Stadium, we pick out our winners and losers from the Six Nations encounter.
Gregor Townsend’s men launched a late effort to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat but Steve Borthwick’s side held on to claim the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2020.
The enthralling encounter between the two sides lived up to the billing of the fierce rivalry between Scotland and England, so without further ado here are our winners and losers.
Winners
Duhan van der Merwe
He is not beating the allegations that he saves his best performances for England and the Calcutta Cup. The imposing winger was kept quiet against Ireland in round two but was back to be a destructive force and an utter nightmare for the white defensive wall.
He was crowned man of the match for his efforts after scoring what could have been a match-winning try had Finn Russell put on his goal-kicking boots, but it was not to be.
Van der Merwe racked up over 80 metres, left five defenders clutching at straws and made two clean breaks with three offloads, one of which led to a wonderful try for Huw Jones.
He tasted defeat against England for the first time today but he certainly did his utmost to inspire his team to victory.
Finn Russell misses prove costly as England snatch Calcutta Cup back from profligate Scotland
Huw Jones
Speaking of Jones, the Scotsman had another sterling outing in the midfield in a performance that will not hurt his Lions hopes in the slightest.
Particularly, considering the events that unfolded in the earlier kick-off with Garry Ringrose being shown a red card for his dangerous tackle on Ben Thomas that almost cost Ireland dearly.
It wasn’t just on attack where Jones shone but on defence too as Ollie Lawrence had his least impactful performances against the Scot.
Tommy Freeman
Tommy Freeman’s stocks were high heading into the Six Nations but they have soared since and anyone who invested in the last round of the Championship earned dividends this week.
There will be a ton of debate over whether he actually got ball to grass for his first-half try but Freeman’s contributions extended well beyond that.
He was outstanding in the air and importantly strong defensively.
Jamie Ritchie
It was not too long ago that Jamie Ritchie was leading the Scottish team and was an outside bet to captain the British and Irish Lions in Australia. However, he fell out of favour with the Scotland boss and while he was still a regular squad member, he was in and out of the matchday 23.
In the round one victory over Italy, he was excellent but dropped to the bench for the clash against Ireland only to return to the number six jersey today and he did not let his opportunity slip.
Ritchie was sublime on the deck, at lineout time and relentless on defence in a performance that perhaps throws him right back in the mix for the Lions.
Blair Kinghorn
On the subject of the Lions, Blair Kinghorn looks as good as a nailed-on start than anyone else. He has had an extra spring in his step since his move to Toulouse and is now in timely career best form.
While Van der Merwe took home the man of the match honour in defeat, Kinghorn will have been right in contention after topping the metres gained (124), defenders beaten (7), clean breaks (3), carries (19) and completed the joint-most offloads (3).
Hugo Keenan will be stiff competition for the full-back role and perhaps Marcus Smith but Kinghorn could well find himself on the wing, simply put Andy Farrell has to make place for him – his form demands it.
Maro Itoje
Finally, the Calcutta Cup drought is over as Maro Itoje becomes the first England captain to get his hands on the trophy since Owen Farrell in 2020 and boy did he play a big role in the success.
He landed 11 hits on defence and was a driving force at the breakdown winning three turnovers, although one still struggles to fathom the legality of one of them.
Itoje did not get his hands on the ball much today but was a crucial cog in England’s breakdown excellence which was vital in the victory.
Steve Borthwick
Finally, finally, he has a victory over the Auld Enemy after finally clinching the Calcutta Cup in 2023 and 2024.
It’s back-to-back victories for England which will relieve some of the pressure but both the recent successes have been a single point and quite easily have gone the other way.
Test rugby is all about the fine margins and today, Borthwick’s side were on the right side of the line albeit aided by Russell having an off day from the tee.
The Smiths
Scotland outscored England three tries to one which is not a glowing reference or indication that the dual playmaking axis of Fin Smith and Marcus Smith is but the pair were the difference between winning and losing today.
After struggling off the tee in the opening two rounds of the tournament, Marcus slotted all three of his shots at goal while Fin stepped up to hammer home the all-important penalty from the halfway line.
Fin also led the charge on defence with a brave effort in the front line as he topped the tackle count making 16 in total. He did make the horrendous decision to attempt a box kick that was charged down that could have been detrimental but his influence overall was more positive than negative. The fact that he nailed what was ultimately the winning kick while Russell missed would have added an extra layer of agony for Scottish fans.
On today’s evidence, the Smith squared axis is far from perfect but the record with Marcus deployed at full-back and Fin at fly-half reads 2-0 and right now that’s what will matter.
Joe El-Abd
Felix Jones’ arrival was rightly heralded after the Rugby World Cup with the Irishman assisting the Springboks en route to William Webb Ellis Cup glory.
However, it did not prove to be a good fit as the England squad struggled to adapt to the technical and physical demands of the blitz-style the former Ireland international wanted to employ.
In steps Joe El-Abd who has done a sterling job in adapting the style to better fit the squad and today it paid dividends. Time and time again, Scotland entered the England 22 but came up empty-handed with the white wall shutting the door.
Scotland scored three tries today but every single one of them came from sensational attack and individual errors, not system failures.
Losers
Henry Slade
It’s a good thing that England have a Jonny Wilkinson-esque number ten in terms of his defensive attributes because Henry Slade had another mare defensively.
Far too often today he was caught out of position or made a poor read or slipped a tackle – he missed FIVE. Admittedly, missed tackles is not always a great indicator of the impact a player makes in defence particularly when it comes to the centres but Slade still has to do better.
Tom Willis and Tom Curry
Borthwick’s decision to deploy a 6-2 bench split today was vindicated with England losing two back-rowers to injury, but that will not ease the concerns going forward with starters Tom Willis and Tom Curry limping off the pitch.
Willis’ form demanded a call-up to the Test squad despite Borthwick’s reluctance and even today he impressed during his shift racking up over 20 metres from his four carries and really got stuck in on defence.
While Willis has been in fine form, one could argue that Curry has been in career-best this Six Nations with phenomenal performances in the opening two rounds and was excellent again today before his departure. The 26-year-old has endured a torrid run of injuries in recent seasons with a troublesome hip and had an ankle concern before the World Cup.
The manner in which he hobbled off the pitch will concern the coaching staff as their star back-rower could well miss the remainder of the tournament which would be a real shame.
Zander Fagerson
At the start of the Six Nations, many had Zander Fagerson as their first choice tighthead prop for the British and Irish Lions tour – even ahead of the veteran Tadhg Furlong – but frankly, the Scotsman has not been at his usual high standard.
Around the park, he is still excellent and today was no different but it’s his scrummaging that has come under the spotlight as Ellis Genge caused the 29-year-old all kinds of issues and he is not the first loosehead this Six Nations to do so.
One has to remember that scrummaging at the highest level is very much an eight-man effort and current woes cannot be solely pinned on the Glasgow Warriors star but questions will be raised around his technique ability to anchor down when not dominating and that’s something that has been a cornerstone of his game.
Finn Russell
He was understandably gutted at full-time and let the officiating team know it but frankly, the win was within his grasp. Sure, it was not an easy kick to win the game but one that he would expect to slot nine out of ten times.
Russell has been in sublime kicking form for Bath but that did not translate today as he failed with all three of his attempts and in such a close game that was the difference between lifting the Calcutta Cup again and watching Itoje and co do it.
He weaved his magic to inspire Scotland’s attack that did lack the killer blow once they entered the 22 and undoubtedly played his role in keeping them within touching distance but ultimately that ruthless edge was not there.
It’s unfair to pin the loss on one player which will be the case with so many fans and perhaps Russell himself as his misses cost his team the match.
Gregor Townsend
Townsend’s contract as Scotland head coach runs until April next year but there is already murmurs that the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) could cut ties ahead of schedule with the threat of losing Glasgow Warriors boss Franco Smith to other suitors, particularly Wales.
It would not be an unprecedented move from the SRU who in fact showed Vern Cotter the door to hand Townsend the reins and today’s agonising defeat is an example as to why the call probably should be made.
Scotland have a generational team right now that should frankly be challenging for the title but today’s loss paired with the defeat to Ireland has all but ended their chances. It’s another year of being the ‘nearly men’ who can trouble the contenders but fall short in doing so.
Yes, the odds were stacked against them when they lost Russell and Darcy Graham last time out but Ireland lost Caelan Doris, made several changes and saw Ringrose given his marching orders.
Scotland were in a position to win this game and had decisions go against them but still could well have retained the Cup but didn’t.
The question has to be asked and answered, has Townsend taken this team as far as he can?
Ewan Ashman
It just wasn’t Ewan Ashman’s day. Scotland had free access to their lineout ball in the first half with Dave Cherry throwing in but in the second England started to compete and put the pressure on Ashman’s throws.
It went from bad to worse for the hooker who attempted an audacious pass to free up Van der Merwe which went horribly wrong and when it did, it gave the officials the opportunity to review one of his other indiscretions, a blocking line that resulted in a penalty. That was one of two penalties he conceded, the most of any Scotland player.
READ MORE: England v Scotland, AS IT HAPPENED: Calcutta Cup glory for Steve Borthwick’s men
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/scotland-v-england-winners-and-losers-including-failure-to-beat-allegations-as-finn-russell-lacks-ruthless-edge-for-nearly-men
