Hogg blunder helps put England back on track for title push
Victory regained England the Calcutta Cup for the first time in three years and keeps their Guinness Six Nations title hopes alive. It was far from an all-convincing display played in the most testing conditions as Storm Ciara battered Murrayfield, but its significance cannot be underestimated.
England made some questionable decisions, but it was a significant step forward from the strangely subdued performance in Paris and one senses it will go a long way to underpinning the next stage of Eddie Jones’s tenure following their World Cup campaign.
With the prospect of home matches against Ireland and Wales to come, Jones will believe that his side can now push on in their attempt to win their first championship since 2017.
Yet they have to be thankful to another blunder by Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg – just a week after he dropped the ball over the line against Ireland – for gifting them the platform to land the decisive blow.
With the game seemingly heading for a draw at 3-3, Hogg failed to gather a chip by George Ford as he attempted to let it bounce over the Scotland line for a 22-metre dropout. The ball bounced off his chest and he lost control. The television match official ruled he had still managed to get downward pressure but the concession of a five-metre scrum gave England the attacking platform they required and after the ball was recycled, Ellis Genge was driven over for the game’s only try.
There was still time for Owen Farrell and Adam Hastings to swap penalties but England had the wherewithal to grind out a deserved victory.
The first half yielded just one penalty from Farrell, but even though the conditions made it almost impossible to play any constructive rugby, it was still absorbing as both sides attempted and largely failed to adapt to the galeforce blasts and driving rain.
It was England, playing into the wind, who made a much better fist of it, with Ford, Farrell and Willi Heinz peppering the Scotland back three, particularly Hogg, with a variety of kicks
– high balls, tricky grubbers and flat cross-kicks.
Hogg himself attempted to use the wind advantage to pin England back, but the conditions made this a challenge, and he failed to find touch with one penalty kick to the corner.
Scotland’s ability to make use of the wind was also hindered by the brilliant impact of England’s back-row trio, whose line speed and physical intent hustled and harried at the breakdown to force errors. Tom Curry, in particular, looked much more comfortable – and effective – in his new role as a No8, carrying with venom again and again.
Scotland had begun with patience, going through phase play, with Hamish Watson, Jonny Gray and Jamie Ritchie carrying strongly. Jonny May had to wear two major hits from Sam Johnson and Blair Kinghorn as Scotland attempted to impose their physicality.
When Ford fired a free-kick into the air, it almost blew back on itself, giving an early indication of the impact of the conditions, yet with Lewis Ludlam and Curry starting to have a say, England were able to assert more pressure on the Scotland back three, one area of their game that was so ineffective in Paris, and Hogg suddenly found himself to be the busiest man on the pitch.
When Scott Cummings was penalised for not rolling away, it gave Farrell his first shot at goal but he could not pierce the wind, with his effort falling short and off target. Yet the England captain made no mistake after Cummings was offside moments later.
Scotland needed momentum and a high tackle by Maro Itoje allowed Hogg to kick to the corner, but the line-out was overthrown and England claimed possession. Ford struggled to clear, however, and after Scotland won another penalty, Hogg again gave his side the attacking platform. This time, though, Sam Underhill worked his way into the heart of the Scotland maul and his iron grip forced the turnover.
At times the wind appeared to mock the kickers, whipping high balls this way and that. Kinghorn took a more direct approach, jagged and stepping his way through four tackles, but again Scotland could not back up their incursion by retaining possession.
Having absorbed a sustained period
of pressure, England looked more likely to score, with Underhill stealing possession and Jonathan Joseph putting Elliot Daly into space up the righthand touchline.
After the ball was recycled, Farrell’s cross-kick found May and Ludlam then forced another penalty at the breakdown. But yet again Farrell’s kick at goal was blown off target.
Still, with the home team losing the collisions and Heinz imposing himself around the fringes, England were able to occupy time in Scotland’s half of the field to keep their opponents at arm’s length. Ford narrowly missed with a dropped-goal attempt, but the threepoint lead felt like 13 points, given the conditions the players were having to endure.
Yet any sense that England would be able to push on in the second half with the wind now at their backs did not materialise. Instead it was Scotland who enjoyed a purple patch in the third quarter. Scotland opted to kick the ball sooner and with more precision and, after Farrell failed to gather a high ball, Rory Sutherland went on the rampage, sparking Scotland’s most promising attack, with England’s defence stretched.
Heinz was then penalised for not rolling away. After Hogg kicked to the corner and from the line-out Scotland used their forwards to pick and go after a dart by Huw Jones, England were again penalised after Underhill held on and Hastings was able to kick the three points that levelled the scores.
England found themselves stuck in their own half, as they replicated the kicking mistakes that Scotland had made in the first half, with Heinz twice, Ford and Daly all kicking the ball out on the full.
Scotland’s best chance to win the game came after Ford’s pass, under pressure, to May went loose and from the attacking line-out, the Scotland forwards hammered the white line. But a brilliant tackle by Farrell halted the attack and Kyle Sinckler ripped the ball as he fell to the ground, allowing George Furbank to clear.
The introduction of Ben Youngs from the bench saw England’s kicking game improve and, when his high ball put Sean Maitland under pressure, he was forced into an error to give England an attacking scrum. A big shunt won the penalty and Farrell, after a second checking the wind, opted for the posts, but again could not convert, even with Genge holding the ball for him. Yet just as the game looked to be heading for a draw, Hogg’s mistake gifted England the attacking scrum and Genge’s powerful drive to the line proved decisive. Scores 0-3 Farrell pen, 3-3 Hastings pen, 3-8 Genge try, 3-10 Farrell con, 3-13 Farrell pen, 6-13 Hastings pen. Referee Pascal Gauzere (France).