Match action
WINNERS are grinners – especially Finn Russell, the orchestrator of Scotland's biggest Six Nations win over England.
The Scottish fly-half had been criticised for smiling his way through anthems before ordinary performances against Wales and France, but after this stunning contribution to an epic victory he was entitled to have a grin a mile wide.
Russell was razor-sharp in his choice of options, and his passing was simply sensational as he inspired the Scots to an emphatic three tries to one victory. He found an executioner capable of making the most of his play-making skills with Huw Jones scoring two of them to confirm that he is one of the most lethal backs in international rugby.
Eddie Jones was left to pick up the pieces of not only broken Grand Slam ambitions, but also a potentially serious dent to their hopes of a third title as the Scots left them without a losing bonus point.
As the England coach contemplated his second defeat in 26 Tests in charge no-one could take issue with his post match summary that Scotland “were just too good for us” – but the burning question is why his own side played into their hands after being annihilated at the breakdown.
The Scottish backrow trio of John Barclay, Hamish Watson and Ryan Wilson played with such urgency and ferocity at the breakdown that they made the vaunted English forwards look like a bunch of plodders.
The game was won and lost in and around the tackle, and the damage that Scotland inflicted, winning one turn-over after another, was terminal. It is an area which England need to address rapidly if their dreams of being World Cup winners in 2019 are to stand any chance of materialising – and they could start by recognising the importance of having fast and furious ball-winners in their backrow, and at openside especially.
Both Barclay and Watson are opensides, and they gave the England back five a painful tutorial not just in how to latch on and grapple effectively for the ball at close quarters, but also the importance of getting over the ball first.
Scotland were supercharged from the start where England looked flat. It was almost as if the overconfidence evident in the camp during the build-up had seeped into their psyche to the extent that simply turning up guaranteed the men in white shirts another victory.
However, the signs were there from the start that their triumphal march was in severe jeopardy. The indiscipline that was costly against Wales soon resurfaced here when Mako Vunipola gave away a sloppy penalty for not releasing Gilchrist after tackling him, and Greig Laidlaw’s penalty administered the punishment to give the home side a 3-0 lead.
Although Owen Farrell levelled the account with a penalty after 13 minutes it was the Scots who made most of the early running – and it was not long before they got the breakthrough they craved.
It came when Stuart McInally slipped the ball to Laidlaw off an advancing line-out, and, with the scrum-half finding Russell with a basketball pass, he had just enough room to thread a wicked grubber through the advancing England defensive line.
With England scrambling for the bobbling ball a comedy of errors ensued with Joseph bundled over and failing to grab it as he fell, and with Anthony Watson also failing to collect it Jones raced past him to take it on the bounce before diving over for the opening try.
It was just the start Scotland needed for the seeds of self-belief to start sprouting – and exactly the encouragement England did not want to give them – or the Murrayfield crowd.
With Laidlaw converting, Scotland had a 10-3 lead with just 15 minutes played, and although Farrell trimmed the lead to 10-6 with a further penalty soon after, the home side were playing with far greater enterprise and self-belief than the visitors.
This was encapsulated midway through the firsthalf when Russell ran the ball from inside the home 22 before sending the stocky Jones racing down the flank and chipping into the England 22. Although George Ford and Watson tidied up when the wing was chopped down, Barclay was onto the ball in a flash to win a turnover.
When the Scottish captain repeated the trick just after the half-hour, this time after snaring Ford, England paid dearly. The Scots ran the penalty and a brilliant laser-beam pass by Russell set the attack in motion as it left Joseph stranded and hit Jones in full stride. As he sprinted into the England 22, Barclay was on hand to set up a ruck, and after the swashbuckling McInally rammed to within a few yards of the line, England were rocking.
A quick recycle decked the visitors, with Russell’s floated pass giving Maitland the beating of Watson to score in the corner. Although Laidlaw could not convert at 15-6 ahead the Scots had the momentum, which England could not stop.
With the inspirational Barclay winning another turn-over two minutes before the interval – this time off Chris Robshaw -Scotland scored again.
This time it was Laidlaw who provided the killer pass, springing Jones through a gap between Nathan Hughes and Farrell, and although Mike Brown and Watson appeared to have him covered, the Scottish outside-centre had the power to stay on his feet and carry them along like
driftwood before planting the ball over the line.
With Laidlaw adding the extras, Scotland held not just a commanding 22-6 half-time lead, but also the psychological whip-hand. Three minutes into the second-half it looked fleetingly as if they might let it slip when a long pass by Danny Care sent Farrell racing past Grant Gilchrist to score England’s only try, and then convert it to make it 22-13.
However, it soon became apparent that Scotland would hold their nerve to frustrate increasingly frantic England attempts to close the gap further. While a potential Care intercept try was ruled out by a Launchbury infringement, and another went begging after a Farrell breakaway was ruled out because Courtney Lawes knocked the ball on while flattening Russell, Scotland also butchered a chance when Peter Horne delayed his pass to Hamish Watson.
The more England chased the game the more mistakes they made, and the game was put out of their reach when Sam Underhill was yellowcarded in the 65th minute for a no-arms tackle on Jamie Bhatti.
Russell kicked the penalty to give Scotland their final winning margin, and with England desperate for a losing bonus point, their undoing was again at the breakdown, with McInally winning a turn-over a couple of metres from his own line.
The crowd saluted their heroes by bellowing out
Flower of Scotland to send them homeward to think again. Eddie Jones is not Proud Edward, but he certainly has plenty of thinking to do.