Poor England struggle to subdue spirited Scots

Put it this way: Australia will not be losing much sleep. Ahead of their showdown at the Olympic Stadium next week, watching the old enemy labour to victory against the Auld Enemy would have provided only the briefest of diversions ahead of their own game against New Zealand. Which they won 14-8. And the bottom line is that unless England can locate some considerable improvements against the world champions, then once again they face the prospect of an early Four Nations departure.

Still, at least their campaign remains alive, which was more than they could say of themselves for much of the first half here. A Coventry nightmare briefly threatened, as a spirited and skilled Scotland sprinted into a lead. They provided, in Matty Russell’s spectacular finish, the best moment of the game. They even finished the game strongly, and although England restored the natural order, it was not without some cost to their pride.

Afterwards, coach Wayne Bennett observed that England “need to have a good look at themselves”.

“We weren’t good,” he said. “There wasn’t much to enjoy about it. We put ourselves under pressure in the first half.”

Luke Gale may struggle to hold on to his half-back role amid the projected return of Gareth Widdop and a strong showing from George Williams, England’s man of the match here.

Scotland were as magnificent as England were dire in that opening period, looking less like the team so embarrassingly caught in the headlights by Australia in their 54-12 defeat, and more like the side who had rallied so manfully towards the end of that game. Their chase was exceptional, their defence efficient and intelligent, Danny Brough’s imaginative kicking from hand in a different class to his English counterparts. England’s predictable lines and silly errors were compounded by the absence of the injured James Graham, whose perpetual, bullying momentum was sorely missed.

It was a barely-awake England who conceded the first score of the game, Kane Linnett surging over the line with barely an England fingerprint on his jersey. But the best was yet to come. On 23 minutes, Scotland worked the ball out to the left, where the crunching challenge of Kallum Watkins appeared to have put Russell into touch. Russell had other ideas. Rolling over acrobatically in mid-air, using the corner flag to break his fall, and with the ball on the verge of slipping out of his grasp, he touched it down with the very ends of his fingers, a try as outrageous in its ambition as in its athleticism.

But Scotland’s penalty count began to rise, and just three minutes after Russell’s try, Elliott Whitehead finally picked the gap after some superb hustle from Williams. Next, Gale’s kick bobbled up fortuitously for Whitehead, who sauntered over to give England a wholly undeserved half-time lead.

That was as close as Scotland got. Williams started running the game in the second half, setting up Mark Percival with an incisive run and Ryan Hall with a dainty grubber kick. Gale added a try of his own. And with the final play of the game, England decided to run rather than kick a penalty, and were rewarded as Liam Farrell broke through a tired defence.

As for Scotland, Brough was acquainted with the sin-bin for cynically slowing an England attack, but Dale Ferguson offered further evidence of their promise by plunging over for their third score. For a squad assembled in some haste, it was a fine effort. “Anyone who questioned us being in this competition,” said coach Steve McCormack, “will not be questioning us any more.”

‘There wasn’t much to enjoy about it. We put ourselves under pressure ’