England secured their first Six Nations victory over Scotland at Twickenham since 2017 to win back the Calcutta Cup after edging a nail-biting contest 16-15.
Steve Borthwick’s men withstood a dramatic late Scottish fightback to triumph by the narrowest of margins as the visitors failed to convert any of their tries, costing them dearly.
The result keeps England’s Six Nations hopes alive in a match where successful kicking proved the decisive factor, with Scotland ultimately punished.
The match burst into life early with three tries in a frantic opening quarter.
England landed victory over Scotland as Finn Russell missed a last-gasp conversion
Reuters
Scotland struck first through Ben White, who finished off a sharp move inside five minutes.
England responded swiftly as Tommy Freeman burrowed over from close range, with Marcus Smith adding the conversion to put the hosts ahead.
Scotland continued their attacking prowess when Huw Jones crossed in the corner on 20 minutes, following good work from Duhan van der Merwe.
The visitors took a three-point advantage into the half-time break.
The second half saw 22-year-old Fin Smith come to the fore for England, with the fly-half proving instrumental in the hosts’ victory.
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Smith, whose grandfather was a prop for Scotland, led a determined second-half shutout from the English defence.
His long-range penalty kick extended England’s advantage to six points, which would ultimately prove decisive in the final reckoning.
Marcus Smith had earlier brought England level with a penalty, before putting the hosts ahead with another successful kick 14 minutes from time.
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Fin Smith ultimately proved the difference with his superior kicking
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Scotland appeared to have snatched victory in the final minute when Duhan van der Merwe crashed over in the corner to make it 16-15.
However, Finn Russell’s conversion attempt from a difficult angle drifted wide of the posts.
With time running out, Scotland were unable to find any more points from the restart.
The missed kick proved costly for Gregor Townsend’s side, who had earlier failed to convert their opening tries.
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Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe played a blinder but ultimately ended up on the losing side
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The contrasting fortunes from the kicking tee proved the key difference between the sides at Twickenham.
While England capitalised on their opportunities through both Marcus Smith and Fin Smith’s accurate goal-kicking, Scotland’s failure to convert their tries proved costly.
The visitors scored three tries to England’s one but were ultimately undone by their inability to add the extras.
The result demonstrated how crucial accuracy from the boot remains in modern Test rugby.
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