Hathaway’s quick-fire treble puts England on right course
JOSH Hathaway is looking forward to telling his future grandkids about the hat-trick he scored inside 14 minutes that inspired England to open their campaign with a bonus point win over Scotland.
The tournament’s most successful team made a devastating start to the contest with Hathaway’s early treble and their breakdown dominance, led by the superb Greg Fisilau, looking to be the catalyst for a comfortable victory at The Stoop.
However 23 unanswered points from an inexperienced but resilient Scotland side gave Alan Dickens’ boys an almighty scare and saw them trail by five points just past the hour mark.
But a late try from Tobias Elliot and a Sam Harris penalty sealed the win.
Hat-trick hero Hathaway said: “Getting to represent your country is massive and to score a hat-trick felt surreal. It’s one of those moments you’ll look back on when you finish your career and tell the kids and grandkids about over fish and chips on a Friday night.
“I don’t think I’ve scored a hat-trick before never mind in 14 minutes and to also get a win was brilliant.
“When you go behind it’s tough but it was amazing to bounce back. There were some great solo efforts there and this gives us the platform to move on from here.”
England made an ideal start to the contest as Monty Bradbury’s deep restart sent England players smashing into a ruck forcing a penalty turnover.
The ball was sent to the corner and off the resulting driving maul, the home side were metres away and after constant pressure eventually the ball was spun wide for
Welsh-born winger Hathaway to go over for his first try.
However, Scotland replied just minutes later with a well worked try of their own. With a penalty advantage, Hamish McLeod powered through English missed tackles after clever handling by the visitors.
Richie Simpson converted but the try fest continued as England won the restart and quick hands to the left allowed Gloucester’s Hathaway to go over out wide for his second try that this time Bradbury converted.
England were penalised for offside and Scotland fly-half Simpson converted a routine three points. But England were superior at the breakdown and after a dominant counter ruck, Hathaway completed his quick fire hat-trick utilising the quick ball.
Elliott made an emphatic break down the right handing off his opposite number and after linking up with Harris, the Saracens wing was pulled down just short of the line.
Off the recycled phase, London Irish No.8 Chandler Cunningham-South continued his impressive form as he burrowed his way over to stretch England’s lead to 14.
Corey Tait produced a textbook jackal to put the visitors in a promising position but England’s power game continued to be too much to handle for the Scottish pack as after their driving maul became unplayable, England were awarded with a scrum that then turned into a penalty.
Joseph Woodward ran a beautiful line through midfield but England knocked on over the try line. That wasn’t the end of the danger though as
England’s beef wheeled the scrum and after the ball popped out, flanker Finn Carnduff was on hand to touch down the loose ball.
Bradbury converted from a difficult angle but Scotland bit back as co-captain Duncan Munn breezed through England’s tame tackling in midfield. Rudi Brown was on Munn’s shoulder and after the precise offload picked out the flanker, he went over the line untouched.
Scotland’s reprieve continued with a Simpson penalty on the stroke of half time and a Liam McConnell close-range pick and go try shortly after the interval.
Another Simpson penalty made the contest a one-point game as Scotland’s dominance at the start of the second half continued.
The Scots had their tails up and after a strong carry by Jerry Blyth-Lafferty they were inches away from the England line and overturning the deficit. England had to scramble to produce last-ditch try saving tackles but Scotland did take the lead through back-to-back Simpson penalties.
England’s power and pack dominance in the first half had gone missing as isolated one up runners failed to threaten Scotland’s defence.
However with a penalty advantage, Bradbury’s cross field kick picked out Elliot who went over untouched to restore England’s lead.
England’s beef got them out of jail as the pack won a vital scrum penalty that Bath fullback Harris dispatched and despite missing a routine three in front of the sticks, and Nye Thomas fumbling over the line, Harris’ last minute penalty saw England stutter to an opening weekend win.
“It’s mixed emotions,” said Scotland head coach Kenny Murray. “I’m proud of the boys’ efforts, but at the same time, when you get yourself ahead on the scoreboard with 11 minutes to go, it’s really disappointing not to win it, if I’m being honest.”
“There was a few tries we shouldn’t have conceded and that’s what killed us in the end,” he added. “I think there was a bit of shell-shock in the first 20 minutes with the pace and the physicality, and we learned what the consequences are of not getting your detail right at this level.
“But we got better and better and the game progressed, and I thought your intensity and physicality when we came out after half-time to really impose ourselves on them was excellent.”