Five takeaways from Scotland v England
Following a 13-6 victory for England over Scotland in their Six Nations game, here’s our five takeaways from the fixture at Murrayfield.
The perfect storm: With weather like we experienced today, any form of rugby was almost miraculous. It would have helped if the wind was consistent, but it seemed to change direction more often than an All Black winger. Horizontal rain, howling gales and swirling winds assailed from every angle to a ridiculous level and both sides should be applauded for their grit. In conditions like this, the play book is defunct as the elements laughed in the faces of both coaches and their planned plays. By contrast, in the corresponding fixture last season, 38 points were scored at the half-time mark and it was only England’s adhesion in the set-piece, combined with a fine display by their back row, that saw them home.
Winning ugly: England needed to win at all costs and they managed this despite their abysmal decision making, lack of ability to react to conditions and continued mistakes. However, this was a game that would always revolve around one howler of an error and Stuart Hogg obliged for the second week in a row. The only man to cross the whitewash was England’s impact prop, Ellis Genge; his display in his 26 minutes on the pitch was again compelling, proving once again that he should be starting in Test matches. It says everything about this forgettable game that with a ball in play time of 47 minutes, 71 kicks were executed, one every 40 seconds.
https://twitter.com/SixNationsRugby/status/1226214210360823815
Sevens rugby: Eddie Jones has been lampooned for picking three sevens in his back-row, but on a day where the game was played either on the floor or in the air, and with little in between, Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Lewis Ludlam provided enough industry and turnover ball to see England home. The danger, however, is that Jones may see this as some vindication for the continued imbalance of his pack.
Decisions: Despite their loss, at times Scotland reacted better to the conditions than England, who managed 11 kicks directly into touch, underlining a failure to understand the wind. When the Scots took the ball in hand, they threatened England and it was only some desperate defending from the English forwards, together with a couple of fortuitous turnovers, that kept them in the game. Above all, for the second week in a row it took the visitors 50 minutes to react to the game situation and their opponents, underlining the issues that continue with leadership within the English game.
🏆📷 Calcutta Cup, regained#GuinnessSixNations #SCOvENG pic.twitter.com/7m22QjS3qe
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 8, 2020
Selection issues: Last week, the pundits to a man called for the axing of Ben Youngs and the selection of Willi Heinz. This week, the roles are reversed as Youngs brought surety and direction to England’s kicking game to further confuse Jones’ selection plans. On the plus side, other than George Ford, Curry was the leading carrier in match and showed decent control at eight. For Scotland, their lack of power carrying will be a big concern, as will the fragility of their set-piece. Hogg’s explosive ability is brilliant with ball in hand, but questions too must be asked about his lack of control under pressure.