DAVID SOLE

Scotland laid to rest a 38-year-old hoodoo at an empty Twickenham yesterday and they did it in style.

The final score did not reflect the visitor’s absolute dominance over an England team who were themselves, quite woeful.

The odds on Scotland lifting the Six Nations title come March will have shortened considerably from the 80-1 outsiders they were earlier this week.

While the game itself may not have been much of a spectacle, that would not have mattered one iota to any Scot.

And if any Englishman bemoans the absence of the home crowd, the number of injured players or the lack of match practice . . . tough.

The home side were totally outplayed and were lucky not to concede a bucketful of points, such was Scotland’s dominance.

To be fair, England did much to try to shoot themselves in the foot. The penalty count against them was far too high, but that was indicative of the amount of pressure that the Scots were putting on them.

And to point the finger at England’s shortcomings would be unfair to Scotland, who just about got everything right.

Scotland’s tactical game was spot-on and Finn Russell must have enjoyed his afternoon, despite spending 10 minutes in the sin bin.

‘ Statistics showed just how one-sided the game was

Alongside Ali Price and Stuart Hogg, their tactical kicking was sublime and it forced England to play rugby from deep inside their own half – when Scotland allowed England to have the ball, that is.

It is hard to remember when Scotland last enjoyed such supremacy in a Six Nations match.

The possession and territory statistics showed just how one-sided the game was, as did the tackles made – England making three to four times as many as Scotland did.

That the game was so close from a scoring perspective was hard to fathom at times given it’s one-sided nature.

The foundation of the victory was based on Scotland’s forwards who had an abrasiveness and belligerence throughout the match.

Jonny Gray surely had his finest game in a Scottish shirt and Matt Fagerson’s carrying into the heart of the English defence always gained yards.

The set-piece was virtually immaculate and the back row worked tirelessly.

It was a wonderful debut for Cameron Redpath, playing against some of his former Under-20 team-mates.

He made excellent contributions throughout the game and looked every part an international player.

But to single out individuals is unfair. It was a comprehensive team effort and one that everyone involved can reflect on with great pride and no little pleasure.

Scots around the world will have been following the match and the players will only begin to appreciate the significance of this victory over time.

Now the team needs to back it up next week at Murrayfield.