GENGE GETS HIS REVENGE
England prop has the last laugh as Jones’s men answer taunts to get back on track
ENGLAND could not dodge the storm but they averted the crisis. They fled Typhoon Hagibis in Japan but here they met Storm Ciara head on and came through it.
There was more than just a potential Six Nations title on the line for England. Doubts had been voiced about the players, questions had been asked about Eddie Jones and the Calcutta Cup was in danger of becoming a Scottish heirloom.
Atrocious weather made this one of the worst fixtures in years, but England could not care less as they celebrated in a pile of soggy, white jerseys on the final whistle.
Ellis Genge snatched the victory with a close-range try in the 70th and had to be held back by teammates as the war of words transcended on to the pitch.
Storm Ciara arrived shortly before kick-off. Plastic raincoats were handed out to those in the front rows. The tuba player hit a bum note during England’s national anthem as his sheet music caught the wind and flew across the pitch.
Owen Farrell and Co knew what was coming the moment they stepped off the bus. They were greeted by bagpipes, boos and hand gestures from kilted fans hanging from the gantry. One threw a plastic beer bottle towards Eddie Jones but missed and hit his right-hand man, Neil Craig, on the head. Welcome to Murrayfield.
When Jonny May was clobbered as he claimed the kick-off, it felt like England could be in for a long 40 minutes with the wind in their faces. But Scotland were naive.
Their decision-making was poor and their execution just as bad. They coughed up ball at the lineout, missed kicks to touch and fumbled high balls that swirled i n the Edinburgh night sky. They were penalised at the breakdown as England’s turnover specialists — Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Lewis Ludlam — attacked the contact zone.
Throughout the first half, England decided that the best tactic was to give the ball to Scotland. It took a few minutes to gauge the conditions. Farrell’s early high ball went backwards i n the wind, while George Ford’s clearance kick had the trajectory of a banana.
They drilled low kicks back into the corners and waited for the hosts to make mistakes. Scoring chances were few and far between but England went for points at every opportunity — although Farrell managed to convert just one of his three penalties in the first half. He was greeted by boos every time he brought out his kicking tee and at one point the stadium announcer issued the home crowd a tickingoff about the lack of respect.
Scotland backed their attacking lineout. They turned down shots at goal and kicked for the corners. But Fraser Brown’s throws went wayward in the wind and England’s maul defence held strong. Ali Price did his best to snipe around the f ri nges but was swamped by defenders, while the stodgy turf did not allow Stuart Hogg to unleash his dazzling footwork.
Despite having a 30 mile per hour wind behind them, Scotland failed to register a single point in the first half. The 0- 3 scoreline after 40 minutes was the joint lowest in Six Nations history.
England would surely turn the screw in the second half, but it did not really happen. English kicks lacked accuracy, Ford, Willi Heinz and Elliot Daly kicked the ball out on the full, time after time. Jones grew frustrated in his coaching box, barking orders at his touchline messengers through his walkie talkie. ‘For f*** sake,’ he shouted.
Prop Rory Sutherland caught Ford and Farrell by surprise when he threw a dummy at the fringe of the ruck, before charging into English territory. Huw Jones continued the momentum and, after finally stringing together a set of phases, Adam Hastings levelled the score with a penalty.
There had been much talk about England’s ‘bomb squad’ — the sixtwo split of forwards and backs on the bench — and Jones gradually sent on the likes of Courtney Lawes, Genge and Ben Earl. With 69 minutes on the clock, a moment of madness from Hogg almost cost his team a try. Attempting to usher a kick over his own try line to safety, the ball bounced off his chin and almost squirted into the hands of Farrell, who thought he had scored. His blushes were saved by the TMO, who claimed there had been downward pressure, yet England had the territory.
They reset with a five- metre scrum and, after a crash ball, Genge was on hand to power over on the next phase. England finally had a seven-point cushion, which Farrell turned into 10 points with another penalty.
All Scotland had to show was another late penalty from Hastings, but it was too little too late. The Calcutta Cup belonged to England — and it was a bonus that Farrell made his way up the steps to collect it without slipping over.