TO RIBBONS Jones must pick up pieces after Twickenham shock
EDDIE JONES admitted England’s first home loss to Scotland for 38 years will leave a permanent scar after a calamitous self-inflicted failure yesterday.
Duhan van der Merwe’s 30th-minute try – the only one of the match – proved the difference on the scoreboard but the Scots were all round the better side as the Six Nations Championship was turned on its head on day one.
The defending champions were their own worst enemies, coughing up 15 penalties and creating precisely nothing as they fell to only their third home defeat under Jones.
“You never atone for a game like this. This stays with you for a long time,” said coach Jones.
“It’s my responsibility to get them right and I didn’t manage that. We were a long way off our best. We couldn’t find a way to get in the game.
“Congratulations to Scotland they were too good for us. We were not at the races.”
Jones’s decision to pick his Saracens en masse – when they had played no rugby since the Autumn Nations Cup – backfired badly.
Owen Farrell’s tactical kicking was awful, Elliot Daly poor in defence and under the high ball and Jamie George and Billy Vunipola were substituted early after invisible performances. Only Maro Itoje showed up but he too was guilty of giving away too many penalties. England’s timing was off all over the field. Their chronic indiscipline tested the patience of referee Andrew Brace who sin-binned Vunipola for a high tackle on Finn Russell in the 24th minute.
While he was away Scotland struck. Van der Merwe was put into space by hooker George Turner and the South African-born winger stepped inside Daly and went through Farrell before touching down despite the efforts of Mark Wilson.
It was Van der Merwe’s fourth try in six Tests having almost scored a minute earlier when a crosskick by Russell bounced away from him.
Flanker Watson had also gone close only to be held up over the line by Ellis Genge.
The only promising attacking positions England carved out all game collapsed when Scotland second rows Scott Cummings and then Jonny Gray picked off George’s throws.
The loss of Russell to the sin-bin two minutes before half time for a trip on Ben Youngs meant the visitors had to do without their laid-back magic man for the start of the second half.
But the composed Scots ran down the clock calmly and by the time the home side coughed up another penalty in the 49th minute Russell was back to knock it over and stretch the lead to 11-6.
Jones rang the changes but as the rain set in, the salvage job proved beyond them.
The roar from the Scotland players as Watson hammered the ball into the empty Twickenham stands with time up to end the game and lay the ghost of 38 years must have been heard Edinburgh.
So much for an empty ground being silent.
As sorry England licked their wounds, Scotland captain Stuart Hogg stepped back to allow their two debutants, Cam Redpath and replacement hooker Dave Cherry, to lift the Calcutta Cup together on the half way line. What a moment for them and for Scotland.
“It’s got to be up there with our best-ever result, certainly in my coaching career,” said boss Gregor Townsend. “To win in these conditions against a side with that record is a fantastic result.”