Scotland player ratings v England: Finn Russell’s goal-kicking failure ‘the difference’ as star forward ’empties the tank’

After their 16-15 Six Nations defeat to England at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, here’s how the Scotland team performed on Saturday.

Scotland’s player ratings

15 Blair Kinghorn: The Toulouse stalwart delivered an outstanding performance as he was solid under the high ball and took the fight to England with some barnstorming runs from the back. He finished with a match-high 124 metres gained from a whopping 22 runs which included three clean breaks and six defenders beaten. 8

14 Kyle Rowe: The 27-year-old made some good attacking runs – especially during the opening half – and finished with 32 metres gained from eight runs, with six defenders beaten, but became less prominent as the game progressed. 6

13 Huw Jones: Showed his class with an excellent finish which gave his team the lead in the opening half and continued to impress with ball in hand as the match progressed. Finished with 36 metres gained from nine runs before being replaced by Stafford McDowall in the 65th minute. 7

12 Tom Jordan: The Glasgow Warriors utility back continues to impress on the international stage and despite finishing on the losing side, he will be happy with his showing. Jordan did brilliantly to set Ben White up for the opening try and continued to impress on attack during the rest of the match. 7

11 Duhan van der Merwe: This was England v Scotland which usually means Van der Merwe is at his best and this match proved no different as he proved a real handful with ball in hand. The Edinburgh speedster kept England on their toes with some strong attacking runs – mostly in the first half – and crossed the whitewash in the game’s dying moments. Named the official Player of the match after 80 minutes. 8

10 Finn Russell (cc): Not a game the Scotland co-captain will remember fondly as his goal-kicking proved costly and in the end it was the difference between winning and losing for his side. As expected, he asked plenty of questions of England’s defence but his inability to convert any tries will haunt Scotland’s fans for some time. 5

9 Ben White: The Toulouse scrum-half scored a well-taken try after good support play and put his body on the line on defence as he made six tackles. He provided a slick service to his outside backs but was also guilty of some unforced errors and was eventually taken off after 65 minutes with Jamie Dobie coming on to replace him. 6

Finn Russell misses prove costly as England snatch Calcutta Cup back from profligate Scotland

Forwards overall performance not good enough

8 Jack Dempsey: As expected, the experienced number eight was a willing ball carrier but he made little headway, gaining just 20 metres from 11 carries with one defender beaten. Only completed three tackles before being yanked off after 55 minutes with Matt Fagerson coming on as his replacement. 5

7 Rory Darge: As usual, Scotland’s co-captain had a high work-rate on defence and finished with a team-high 10 tackle completions and competed ferociously at the breakdowns but failed to make an impact with ball in hand. 6

6 Jamie Ritchie: The former Scotland skipper came to the fore with an outstanding all-round performance and emptied the tank on either side of the ball. Ritchie impressed on defence and attack but made his biggest impact at the breakdowns where he won three turnovers. 8

5 Grant Gilchrist: The veteran second-row did his bit in the lineouts, was a willing ball carrier – especially at close quarters – and impressed on defence as he made nine hits during a 71-minute shift. 6

4 Jonny Gray: The Bordeaux-Begles lock was a valuable source of lineout possession and did his bit on defence, as he made seven tackles, but was replaced in the 62nd minute by Sam Skinner. 6

3 Zander Fagerson: The 29-year-old impressed with ball in hand – as he made 11 carries – stood up well in the scrums and finished with seven tackles made before Will Hurd replaced him in the game’s dying moments. 7

2 Dave Cherry: The experienced hooker did what was expected of him with the execution of his core duties before being replaced by Ewan Ashman in the 55th minute. 6

1 Pierre Schoeman: The Edinburgh prop conceded a crucial scrum penalty late in the second half when Scotland were chasing the game but was solid, overall, in the set-piece. 6

Replacements: Although the likes of McDowall and Fagerson brought plenty of energy, the introduction of Ashman had a negative effect on Scotland’s play as he made some costly errors. The 24-year-old missed his jumper at a lineout in England’s 22 in the game’s closing stages before throwing the ball into touch with a two-man overlap on his outside. Shortly afterwards, he was also punished for taking Ben Curry out off the ball with a shoulder charge. 6

READ MORE: England v Scotland, AS IT HAPPENED: Calcutta Cup glory for Steve Borthwick’s men