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| England: (6) 6 |
| Feathers: Farrell 2 |
| Scotland: (8) 11 |
| Try: Van der merwe Feathers: Russell 2 |
Scotland claimed their first victory at Twickenham since 1983 when Finn Russell, who returned as a midfielder, orchestrated a surprising 11-6 victory in the Six Nations over England.
Taking advantage of poor discipline from the hosts, Russell gave Scotland a three-point lead before helping set up Duhan van Der Merwe’s try.
Defending champion England regained six points and Russell’s charge was briefly stopped by a yellow card.
But a resilient Scotland was unfazed and added another penalty.
England had been favorites to win the tournament, but France opened their Six Nations with a 50-10 defeat of Italy, your chances suddenly seem much slimmer.
Scotland, on the other hand, looks likely to improve on fourth place from last year to Wales, their opponent at Murrayfield next weekend.
Scotland loaded with Twickenham history
There was no lack of history around the Calcutta Cup match. It marked the 150th anniversary of the first time England and Scotland met and Scotland’s failure to win at Twickenham in 38 years was a key talking point in the preparation.
All of the players had been confined to coronavirus bubbles in the week before the tournament, and England were only allowed to socialize outside or stay alone in their rooms.
The joy of breaking free from its confines combined with the sense of occasion meant that both sides jumped onto the Twickenham field, but it was Scotland who looked the most enthusiastic, determined to shed the shackles of such a long winless run south of the border. .
England, who lined up a relatively inexperienced front row with three absent experienced props, proceeded to concede four penalties in the first five minutes.
The fourth gave Russell, who was returning to international service after a shoulder injury, a chance to put Scotland ahead.
England’s lack of offensive prowess drew criticism in their victorious Fall Nations Cup campaign and they had promised better in 2021, but it was the visitors who shone in that area when rookie Cameron Redpath took repeated breaks.
For the hosts, the fouls continued. On the eighth penalty awarded, referee Brace had had enough and sent number eight Billy Vunipola in the trash after catching him offside.
When England’s penalty count went into double digits, the visitors received their just reward.
It started with Russell and traveled through a who’s who in Scotland’s bottom line, the excellent Stuart Hogg, Redpath and hooker George Turner combined to feed Van der Merwe, who stepped inside and came forward close to the left corner.
The celebrations briefly came to a halt when Scotland gave away a penalty and England captain Owen Farrell sent the ball from within his own half.
When Farrell lined up a second penalty, he suggested that the television match official reviewed Russell’s trip on England scrum half Ben Youngs, which led to a yellow card for Talisman 10.
After Russell left the field, Farrell scored his penalty and reduced Scotland’s lead to two.
Scotland maintains relentless pressure
Scotland’s less optimistic fans might have thought their team would undo with Russell off the pitch, but, after collecting their thoughts at halftime, the visitors continued to look threatening without their main man.
Some had said that in an empty Twickenham and with several England leaders absent, this was Scotland’s best chance of winning since 1983.
England manager Eddie Jones wondered before the game if that expectation could become “heavy” for the Scots, but they seemed to be carrying their lead lightly as the second half progressed.
In Russell’s absence, Hogg stepped forward to prove he had his own box of tricks. A sublime kick to the corner meant that Van der Merwe was close to another try and, although Scotland did not score five points, they were rewarded with the return of their high half.
Not only were Scotland beating England on attack, they were also beating them at their own kicking game with Hogg continuing to make good use of his boot.
England’s defense managed to avoid further embarrassment by stopping a Scottish maul a few yards away and Redpath continued to show his quality.
The center, the son of former Scotland captain Bryan, surely caught the eye of British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland in the stands as he stole the ball from Tom Curry on the court, much to the delight of the Scottish bench.
The Scots did not stop and, if anything, their pace grew more relentless as the end neared. Jonny Gray lifted England wing Jonny May off the ground to win a maul, Russell tried one more drop-goal, but it couldn’t be.
The final whistle sounded and it could almost have been a Scotland home game. All that could be heard at Twickenham was cheers from every member of the traveling Scottish side.
Man of the match: Finn Russell
‘One of Scotland’s best performances ever’ – analysis
Andy Nicol, former Scottish scrum half on BBC Radio 5 Live: “That is one of the best performances Scotland has ever had.
“There was creativity, physique, good kicks and intensity and unity; the victory was totally deserved.
“That is Scotland’s most dominant performance against England in over 30 years. It was exceptional, an incredibly good performance of 80 minutes.”
Lineups
England: Daly; Watson, Slade, Lawrence, May; Farrell (capt), Youngs; Genge, George, Stuart, Itoje, Hill, Wilson, Curry, B Vunipola.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Obano, Williams, Lawes, Earl, Robson, Ford, Malins.
Sin-bin: B Vunipola
Scotland: Hogg (capt); Maitland, Harris, Redpath, Van der Merwe, Russell, Price; Sutherland, Turner, Z Fagerson, Cummings, J Gray, Ritchie, Watson, M Fagerson.
Replacements: Cherry, Kebble, WP Nel, R Gray, Graham, Steele, Van der Walt, Jones.
Sin-bin: Russell
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
