England move on up into title mix with canny win

In golf, round three is “moving day”. It’s a tournament’s watershed, where contenders rise and pretenders are washed away.

You can’t win the title on moving day, they say, but you can certainly lose it.

Round three duly proved to be where England and Scotland’s Six Nations fortunes diverged dramatically.

England are in the lead with leaders Ireland struggling to win in Cardiff, France traveling to Dublin, and the possibility of Italy and Wales competing for bonus-point birdies.

Scotland are not.

Its size is determined by the difference’s margins, which are only a few millimeters apart.

England have struggled to get past those final quarters and tight scorelines for the majority of the past six months.

After shocking France at Twickenham a fortnight ago, they have a happy habit of finding a way to win as the game dries up, muscles strain, and nerves strain.

There were other similar things that happened a fortnight ago.

Scotland, like France, moved the ball with dexterity and speed that England aspire to, but seldom achieve.

The attacking stats were predominated by the visitors. They made more possession and territory. They made 13 trips to the opposition 22m, compared to England’s four. To two, they made nine line breaks. With a ball in hand, nearly 200 meters more. Thirty-five defenders beaten compared to 10.

You could go on. And undoubtedly some Scotland fans will do the same as they pick up pieces from a previous setback, when their efforts and good intentions were wasted.

Frenchman Pierre Brousset’s refereeing of the breakdown, where England won seven turnovers, and the scrum – where the hosts picked up three penalties – might also be part of the inquest.

The victors ‘ prerogative, though, is to point to the scoreline. England will accomplish that as well.

For 153 years of past rivalry, recent episodes of enmity and the three weeks ahead of these sides, that is what mattered in this fixture.

“It’s always personal”, said England captain Maro Itoje in the week.

When the words stopped and the action began, it certainly looked like it.

Scotland’s captain David Sole’s slow march to the 1990 Grand Slam was dragged up to give a game that was rarely much of a contest some swagger.

No longer.

You don’t need Ryan Wilson’s 2018 tunnel trash talk. Or even Russell’s post-try taunting of Owen Farrell on Scotland’s last trip to Twickenham.

Scottish skepticism had been sufficiently raised by the suggestion that the winners of the previous four meetings had been made a target for bullying.

Duhan van der Merwe was, once again, seismic. White shirts appear to be red rags for the raging wing.

He helped set up Scotland’s first two tries, celebrating in the face of former Worcester team-mate Ollie Lawrence after Huw Jones has crossed, before scoring their third.

His pack repeatedly met England at the gainline. Scotland were never outfought, but perhaps they were ultimately out-thought.

England halted the deep kicks that had fueled Scottish belief and Van der Merwe in the second half.

As England rode their tiny cushion home, Itoje’s choice to keep the scoreboard ticking over rather than kick to the corner was almost proved to be accurate.

Fin Smith’s judgement in taking responsibility for England’s decisive long-range shot at goal was also spot on.

England’s kick-heavy tactics weren’t always to Twickenham’s taste. Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell took to the skies to avoid spinning wide, and there were audible groans at times.

Had Russell’s late conversion dropped the other way, there was little in their style that would have been much consolation.

“There is loads for us to get better at”, admitted Itoje at full-time, “but we are delighted to win.

“We were more clinical than we were, despite the fact that they probably played more than we were.”

“We just need to find ways to be there more and then we will execute more,” according to the statement.

This victory serves to return the game’s most extravagant piece of tableware to the Twickenham Trophy cabinet in addition.

England is kept inside the room. It buys them time. They get a second chance as a result. It extends the title challenge by one week.