Scotland player ratings v England: Backline star ‘shows why he is the man for the big occasion’ as hosts regain Calcutta Cup
Scotland flyer Kyle Steyn (inset) and centre Huw Jones in action against England.
After their impressive 31-20 Six Nations triumph over England at Murrayfield, here’s how the Scotland team performed on Saturday.
Scotland player ratings
15 Tom Jordan: The Bristol Bears star delivered a solid performance as he looked dangerous when joining the line on attack and impressed with when fielding high balls and clearing for touch from the back. 7
14 Kyle Steyn: The experienced flyer delivered a fine all-round performance as he did well with ball in hand, was solid on defence and outstanding under the high ball for the full 80 minutes. Despite being taken out in an aerial duel by Henry Arundell, who received a 20-minute red card for his offence, Steyn continued to be brave under the high ball and his all-round efforts were eventually rewarded with the official man-of-the-match award. 9
13 Huw Jones: The Toulon-bound midfielder hit the ground running as he crossed for the opening try after just 10 minutes. Jones showed why he is the man for the big occasion as he crossed for another well-taken try in early in the second half and continued to pose a huge threat to the English defence as the match progressed. 9
12 Sione Tuipulotu: The other part of the ‘Huwipulotu’ midfield combination was not far behind his centre partner as he tested the Red Rose defence with several strong carries. Also found Jamie Ritchie with a well-weighted long pass in the build-up to the former’s try and made his presence felt with some big hits on defence. 8
11 Jamie Dobie: Another one of Scotland‘s players who thrived on attack and although he did not score a try, he always looked threatening with ball in hand and finished with a match-high three linebreaks. Replaced by Darcy Graham in the final quarter. 7
10 Finn Russell: Like most of Scotland’s players, the experienced playmaker delivered the usual brilliant performance against the ‘Auld Enemy’ as he caught the eye with a fine all-round effort. Russell’s playmaking skills were of a high standard throughout. He also delivered a fine kicking display, out of hand and at goal, as he finished with an 11-point haul after slotting four conversions and a penalty. 8
9 Ben White: The Toulon star pounced on an Ellis Genge mistake deep inside England‘s half during the opening half and was rewarded with a well-taken try. White continued to impress as the match progressed as his decision making and option taking was superb before he was eventually replaced by George Horne in the 57th minute. 8
The forwards
8 Jack Dempsey: Continued where he left off in Scotland’s Six Nations opener as he took the fight to England with some powerful carries and also looked busy on defence before being replaced by Max Williamson after 57 minutes. 7
7 Rory Darge: The 25-year-old came to the fore with a brilliant defensive performance as he finished with a match-high 21 tackles made and also won the most turnovers (three) in the match. 8
6 Jamie Ritchie: The experienced loose forward was only on the field for 40 minutes before being forced off due to injury but it was a memorable stint for the former Scotland skipper. Ritchie scored a well-taken try and was in the thick of the action as he also shone on defence. 7
5 Scott Cummings: The experienced second-row delivered a solid all-round performance as he was a valuable source of possession in the lineout and also put his body on the line on defence as he completed 18 hits. 7
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4 Gregor Brown: The young utility forward was in the thick of the action from the outset and finished the match on the blindside flank after Williamson’s introduction. Brown impressed in the lineout but made his biggest impact on defence, finishing with 17 tackles made. 8
3 Zander Fagerson: The scrum battle was an intriguing one and Fagerson came off second best in his direct duel with Genge as the Scotsman was penalised on two occasions at the set-piece. Although he was prominent on defence, his deficiencies at scrum-time resulted in Elliot Millar Mills replacing him early in the second half. 5
2 George Turner: The experienced Harlequins hooker was lively on defence and attack but Scotland’s struggles in the scrums resulted in Dave Cherry replacing him after 51 minutes. 6
1 Nathan McBeth: The inexperienced Glasgow Warriors loosehead prop had a torrid ordeal at scrum time against Joe Heyes and was replaced by Pierre Schoeman in the 49th minute. Apart from that, McBeth did his bit on defence. 5
Replacements: Scotland’s replacements deserve plenty of credit as they continued to take the fight to Red Rose when they entered the fray. The back-up front-row of Millar Mills, Cherry and Schoeman brought some stability to the scrums while Matt Fagerson, who replaced Ritchie at the break, caught the eye with a fine all-round display. He did brilliantly to charge down an attempted drop goal from George Ford before regathering the ball and offloading to Jones, who raced away for his second try. 7
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