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England player ratings vs Scotland | 2022 Six Nations
By Paul Smith
Scotland won consecutive Calcutta Cups for the first time since 1984 by claiming a tense 20-17 win at rainy Murrayfield.
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A try from replacement scrum half Ben White plus a conversion and penalty from Finn Russell gave Scotland a 10-6 half-time lead.
Marcus Smith kicked two penalties before the break for the visitors then added a try and two further three-pointers after the restart.
However, a third Russell penalty plus a penalty try awarded by referee Ben O’Keefe when England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie deliberately knocked the ball into touch gave Scotland the spoils.
Following their fifth-place finish in the 2021 Six Nations this result piles the pressure back on Eddie Jones following their unbeaten Autumn Series which brought wins over Tonga, Australia and World Champions South Africa.
Jones’ team went into the opening round of action without a number of established faces including Owen Farrell, Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Anthony Watson, Jonny Hill and Courtney Lawes while Scotland lost Glasgow prop Jamie Bhatti to injury a few days prior to the game.
Having lost only one of the last four Calcutta Cup clashes and beaten Australia during November, Gregor Townsend’s team entered this year’s Six Nations with high hopes of building on a 2021 campaign in which they were a one-point loss to Wales and a three-point defeat by Ireland away from a Grand Slam.
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15 FREDDIE STEWARD – 6
Typically reliable under the high ball until he spilled under no pressure at the start of the second half, but badly sliced a first-half clearance kick. Played his part in a cohesive defensive effort from England’s back three who saw plenty of high balls raining down on them in persistent rain.
14 MAX MALINS – 6.5
Saw plenty of the ball in the early stages as England’s back three sought to counter from deep. A neat inside ball almost created a try-scoring chance before Scotland’s cover defence swarmed across the field.
13 ELLIOT DALY – 6.5
Forced a turnover deep in Scotland territory with a thumping tackle direct from a restart. Had little front-foot ball in space but worked hard defensively.
12 HENRY SLADE – 7.5
In the absence of Manu Tuilagi the Exeter man wore no.12 and was asked to truck the ball into contact on more than one occasion, winning a penalty under the home posts in the third quarter.
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His superb angled diagonal gave England a good attacking position only for his forwards to ship a penalty in the first half then another fine kick – this time off his weaker right foot – gave Stuart Hogg a heart-stopping moment just ahead of the hour mark.
11 JOE MARCHANT – 6
Charged Stuart Hogg down deep in his own 22 following Slade’s superb diagonal and looked perfectly at home playing out of position on England’s left wing despite seeing a lot less of the ball than his back three colleagues.
10 MARCUS SMITH – 7
Tasked with kicking his country’s points Smith started with a scuffed-but-successful penalty which brought a smile to his face and went on to miss only a tricky touchline conversion.
Showed he can mix his game to good effect but over-cooked a kick pass which would have left Max Malins with the easiest of walk-ins and missed touch with a penalty at a vital moment. Claimed a memorable try in the second half with a well-judged outside break.
9 BEN YOUNGS – 6
A typically sharp break from the base of a breakdown created a good chance which ended when Smith’s kick-pass missed its target.
His box kicking was not quite on point at times which, with England dominating possession, reduced the first half pressure on Scotland’s back three.
Took a good option to go blind and send Smith racing to the line for Engand’s second half try.
Yes @MarcuSmith10 🙌🙌
📺 @bbcone#SCOvENG | @SixNationsRugby pic.twitter.com/LaLlfKDX0h
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 5, 2022
1 ELLIS GENGE – 6
A couple of powerful first-half bursts followed neat handling combinations with fellow prop Sinckler. Penalised in contact to present Scotland with a 40-metre opportunity which Finn Russell accepted on the stroke of half-time.
2 LUKE COWAN-DICKIE – 5.5
Kicked possession away in the Scotland 22 following a turnover with plenty of space outside him. Connected consistently with his lineout jumpers on a wet night when accuracy was essential.
Was then at the centre of a match-turning moment when exposed under a cross-field kick pass and yellow carded for deliberately knocking the ball into touch in an incident which also cost England a penalty try.
What can you say 😂 pic.twitter.com/NhfcNrusVW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 5, 2022
3 KYLE SINKLER – 7
Prominent with ball in hand in the early stages and showed some deft touches. Disrupted a Scotland maul to win a turnover early in the second half. Not really required to scrummage in a contest which saw only five set-pieces prior to his departure on 63 minutes.
4 MARO ITOJE – 6
Always a threat to Scotland’s lineout ball. Got up quickly in defence to block Finn Russell’s intended kick ahead early in the second half but generally less prominent than usual in the loose.
5 NICK ISIEKWE – 5
Picked off in the defensive line by Darcy Graham for Scotland’s opening try then pinged for going across the lineout.
Otherwise played an important role in England’s lineout which functioned extremely smoothly.
DREAM DEBUT!
Ben White scores on his debut for @scotlandteam! 👏
That footwork from Darcy Graham 🔥#SCOvENG #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/eRZ31PGHsY— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 5, 2022
6 LEWIS LUDLAM – 8
Used as England’s third lineout option and secured some useful front ball throughout the game. Also carried to good effect and won a penalty in contact with a powerful early burst.
7 TOM CURRY – 6
England’s first-time skipper delivered a typically industrious display without producing any showreel moments and probably shared the battle of the breakdown with Lions colleague Hamish Watson.
8 SAM SIMMONDS – 7
Carried hard from set plays with Ali Price feeling the full force of one such thrust and being temporarily sidelined for an HIA as a result.
REPLACEMENTS – 5.5
England changed their props, introduced Alex Dombrandt for Lewis Ludlam and perhaps surprisingly swapped George Ford for 17-point Marcus Smith shortly after the hour mark.
England dominated throughout....first 20minutes scots had touched the ball only 3 times for 3 meters while England had 17 runs for over 150 meters and looked dangerous all over the park...its a pity they couldn't come away with points ...
The loyalty shown to Ben Youngs is mystifying. His box kicking is at best average for an international scrum half, pedestrian and often erratic passing, but his biggest weakness is his predictability which makes it so easy to defend. Try someone new Eddie.
England dominated posession and territory, Scotland took their only 2 chances, 1 was a breakaway try and the other a penalty try. They were winners, but at home, in these conditions with a full team, they should have had parity at least.
So how do the Scottish players get better rankings? How does their pack get better rankings when they didn't dominate the scrum or lineout, they were pretty even, and they didn't keep hold of the ball?