England regain Calcutta Cup after Scotland miss last-gasp kick

Men’s Six Nations

England (7) 16

Tries: Freeman Con: M Smith Pens: M Smith 2, F Smith

Scotland (10) 15

Finn Russell’s 79th-minute substitution put England in danger of winning the title, and Scotland’s Calcutta Cup winning streak came to an end at Allianz Stadium.

England held on for a three-point lead at half-time thanks to efforts from Huw Jones and Ben White, but the dominant visitors held on for the rest.

England led 16-10 going into the final nine minutes thanks to a pair of penalties from Marcus Smith and a booming kick from Fin Smith halfway.

However, Scotland responded by firing back in the corner after replacement Stafford McDowall slammed into the defense’s heart.

But, as Allianz Stadium held its breath, Russell, who had missed two previous shots off the tee, pushed a potentially match-winning conversion inches wide of the left upright.

In the end, Scotland were ambushed by their fierce rivals in the Calcutta Cup for the first time in five years thanks to the kind of steely rearguard action they used to unleash.

In the Six Nations standings, England is four points clear of Ireland, but a dangerous France will travel to Dublin in the following round with a point to prove and potential title aspirations on the line.

Steve Borthwick’s side take on Italy and Wales, who finished fifth and sixth in last year’s championship, in their final two games.

Scotland are in danger of finishing in the middle of the table once more as expectations fade and a promising talent age fades.

Within five minutes of the match, England received an unwelcome reminder of his talents thanks to Van der Merwe’s explosive runs and six tries, which have helped define Scotland’s dominance in recent years.

The powerhouse wing scorched outside Ollie Lawrence, drawing the England cover after Ollie Sleightholme had kicked away possession to Blair Kinghorn. Tom Jordan was then quickly released down the line, and White made a fantastic inside pass as Bristol-bound center.

In front of a quiet north stand, White celebrated the opening try long and loud, but the home team quickly responded.

After a spell of pressure and repeated short-range thrusts, the officials were confident in a grounding that looked uncertain on television replays, and Tommy Freeman plunged over the line.

It was, however, a rare foray into Scotland territory.

England only managed to enter the danger zone twice, with the visitors 22 meters into the opposition before going into the tunnel.

The pilfering of back-row twins Tom and Ben Curry and England’s scrum supremacy, combined with some Scottish inaccuracy, kept the scoreline from having a similarly lop-sided look.

Jones added a try before the break, giving Scotland a 10-7 lead, as Kinghorn and Van der Merwe combined once more, finding angles, offloads and open field out wide.

On the final play of the half, Lawrence rioted through midfield and fed Marcus Smith, who had been penned back for the majority of the match.

With Freeman free on his inside, Smith couldn’t find a pass and was snared by a covering Van der Merwe. On the next phase, Lawrence’s ambitious offload landed over the advertising hoardings rather than in Sleightholme’s hands.

On 56 minutes, Marcus Smith scored a penalty to put the game on the edge of the park.

Maro Itoje and Jamie Ritchie were at odds with one another during the sparring, loosely whistled by French referee Pierre Brousset.

However, eventually England regained control and, after Scotland was denied field position by a high hit from Kyle Rowe on Ollie Chessum, the country jumped off the tee.

Fin Smith, the fly-half, accepted a long-range penalty, and his self-aggrandizement was justified by his excellent strike.

England, however, looked jittery.

Harry Randall, on for Alex Mitchell at scrum-half, struggled to clear his lines from the base of a ruck.

Before McDowall hit a stunning inside line and Van der Merwe outflanked the ragged cover defense, it appeared as though Scotland were out of ideas and time.

However, Russell was unable to generate the game-winning points from a difficult angle with British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell watching.

Scotland made a final attempt from the beginning, but Rowe was held up in a tackle and ushered over the touchline by a crowd of white men, who had already arrived.

The contrast in emotions was immediate. In the final squabble of a fiery encounter, Chessum screamed delight as Van der Merwe tangled with England team manager Richard Hill.

Replacements: George, Baxter, Heyes, Hill, Cunningham-South, B. Curry, Randall, Daly.

Scotland: Kinghorn, Rowe, Jones, Jordan, Van der Merwe, Russell (co-capt), White, Schoeman, Cherry, Z. Fagerson, Gray, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Darge (co-capt), Dempsey.