NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
England suffer worst defeat under Jones as Scotland expose their weak point and force them into a…
THE Grand Slam dream is over. England suffered their biggest upset of the Eddie Jones regime as Scotland lifted the Calcutta Cup for the first time in a decade.
‘Just another game’, they said. ‘We’re ready for whatever they throw at us.’ What England were not prepared for was the bravest, boldest Scottish display since the turn of the century.
England must now pick themselves up from their biggest body blow on their quest to become world champions.
They were beaten by a brace of tries from sensational centre Huw Jones, with hot-heeled No10 Finn Russell inspiring Scotland to a victory for the ages.
The tone was set the moment England stepped off the bus. Escorted in at a snail’s pace by a band of kilted bagpipers, they were met by Scotsmen hanging from the gantries to ensure they did not feel at home.
They booed Mike Brown and Owen Farrell, but the sharpest jeers were saved for Eddie Jones. Flanked by security guards, the Red Rose coach made a beeline for the safety of the stadium, wearing no emotion.
Gregor Townsend’s players describe him as the most studious coach they have worked under.
Every f acet of t he opposition is dissected and, here, they targeted the breakdown as an area of weakness from the start. What the Scottish back row lacked in size and power they made up for with speed and hustle around the tackle area.
In Courtney Lawes, Chris Robshaw and Nathan Hughes, England had no natural fetcher to rival Hamish Watson and Co.
It t ook t hree minutes f or Grant Gilchrist to jackal over Nathan Hughes. Nigel Owens blew his whistle and Greig Laidlaw kicked the penalty.
England fought back. Restored at No8, Hughes added three stone more than Sam Simmonds and the Pacific Islander carried the ball in one hand like a small children’s toy.
Scotland’s defensive line held strong and England settled for a penalty which — to a chorus of boos — was kicked by pantomime villain Farrell. But that was the extent of England’s first-half rally. Pre-match debate had focused on Finn Russell following his self- implosion against Wales and France. Should the maverick be given another chance? How he silenced his critics.
Everything Russell touched turned to gold, cutting the English defence to ribbons with his breezy style.
Scotland had not scored a try in a Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield since 2004. They scored three in 23 minutes yesterday.
Scotland attacked through their maul. Russell’s grubber kick eluded Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson, with Jones pouncing to score.
Would Scotland capitulate? They conceded a cheap penalty but dared to run the ball from deep, with Russell catching Mike Brown out of position to earn territory from the boot.
England’s players bickered, Scotland’s smelt blood.
Moments after Brown threw a pass into touch, Russell countered from deep inside his 22. He threw a hair-raising pass past the clutches of Joseph to find Jones, who charged 60 metres downfield.
Hooker Stuart McInally kept the movex al i ve, before Laidlaw and Russell combined to set up Sean Maitland on the left wing. England were shell-shocked. Eddie Jones sat numb and expressionless. Russell wound up Danny Care with a
cheeky smile. Hughes pinned his opposite number to the ground in frustration.
The Scottish Jones struck again. He slipped through the tackle of Hughes to break the line, before charging through Brown and Watson to leave Murrayfield dreaming. Surely the hosts would wake up to their familiar despair in the second half?
Scotland won two more turnovers inside the first two minutes, taking the sting out of Jones’ half-time team talk, but they were soon dealt a reality check. A loose clearance kick fell into English arms and, after Hughes and Care combined, Farrell ran under the posts.
But fortune was not on England’s side as Care and Farrell had quickfire tries disallowed for a breakdown infringement and a knock on.
And Huw Jones continued to terrorise them. The centre was educated at Millfield School in England but left for South Africa after being rejected by every club in the Premiership. He was spotted by a Glasgow Warriors scout on Wikipedia and here he exacted revenge.
Scotland no longer looked like a one-man team reliant on Stuart Hogg.
England turned to their bench. On came Jack Nowell, Harry Williams, Ben Te’o and Jamie George, but replacement flanker Sam Underhill was sinbinned for a no-arms tackle after 67 minutes. Russell kicked the penalty. Chants of ‘Scotland, Scotland, Scotland’ could be heard 50 miles west in the No10’s hometown.
Trailing by 12 points in the closing 10 minutes, England faced their biggest test of character of the Jones regime. They failed it, miserably.