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Scotland player ratings vs England: Dreadful conditions killed this game as a spectacle and it was a hard day to be judged, but yet that is what we must do.
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STUART HOGG CAPTAIN 6
Uncharisterically error-ridden early doors. His massive boot kept England pinned back in what was a busy shift for the Exeter Chief fullback. For a few horrid moments it looked he fluffed his lines again, but the TMO saved his blushes. We all know how talented he is, but consistency seems to be evading him of late.
SEAN MAITLAND 1
Okay, so it wasn’t a day for wingers with Storm Ciara battering Murrayfield, but with that said, one could be forgiven for double-checking the line-ups to make sure he was actually on the pitch. That all changed with a knock-on in the 59th minute and a second fumble two minutes later. He wasn’t done though. He managed one final knock-on in the 79th minute. The most charitable thing you could say was that he was present.
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WATCH: Jim Hamilton is joined by good friend and England International Freddie Burns to discuss the selection issues England face and Andy Farrell’s slip up in a recent press conference.
HUW JONES 5
Was turned over in possession in the 23rd minute. Had a few telling contributions in the second half but was replaced by Harris in the 55th minute, after looking sore.
SAM JOHNSON 6
Carried hard and fast and coming off second best in contact on more than one occasion didn’t dampen his ambition.
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BLAIR KINGHORN 7.5
Was massively fired up for this contest and it showed. Eagerly looked for work and was a reliable source of go-forward every time he got it. A massive improvement on last week.
ADAM HASTINGS 7.5
The miserable conditions meant he was destined for a ping pong tournament with England three-quarters and spent the first 25 minutes covering back. Was mugged by Underhill in the 25th minute which led to an England break-out. The cliched line is that he doesn’t have Finn Russell’s flair but he does have a great knack of making s*** happen.
ALI PRICE 7
A wonderful chip and collect rattled England. He did his best in nightmare weather but ultimately England’s halfbacks dealt better in the conditions.
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RORY SUTHERLAND 7.5
Had a right royal rumble with Sinckler at scrum time. His step and 20 metre break brought a sodden Murrayfield crowd to their feet.
FRASER BROWN 4.5
Was the main line of communication between Scotland’s pack and Pascal Gaüzère. A lineout overthrow let England off the hook in the 13th minute and another in the 19th minute set the tone for a torrid afternoon at the set-piece. In his defence conditions were truly dreadful. Took a knock early in the second-half, which he never quite recovered from.
ZANDER FAGERSON 7
A monster at eating up the hard yards, and has actually become a go-to for the Scots in this regard.
SCOTT CUMMINGS 5
Gave away a penalty that gave Farrell his first kick at posts, which he duly missed. Tackled strongly thereafter. Must take some of the responsibility for Scotland’s shambolic lineout.
JONNY GRAY 5.5
Ball security and breakdown issues bedeviled Scotland once again and Gray wasn’t immune. Tackled everything as usual and grabbed a few metres with ball in hand and was the only player capable of catching a ball at lineout too apparently. He and Bradbury were tellingly unable to stop Genge for England’s winning try.
JAMIE RITCHIE 6
The athletic all-rounder prowled the field and got through a tonne of work. It wasn’t a day for fancy stuff and England’s heavies probably came out just on top in the battle of the packs.
HAMISH WATSON 5
It was England that won the breakdown battle, and Watson was largely left to the odd cameo.
MAGNUS BRADBURY 6
His carrying was missed last week and opportunities to cut loose here were few and fair between. One of the few Scottish forwards to get any real change out of the English pack, although he and Gray were unable to contain Genge, which proved fatal.
SUBSTITUTES:
STUART MCINALLY 6
After Brown’s performance you wonder will McInally have seen this match as a chance to reclaim the jersey. Looked busy and seemed to deal relatively well with the torrential rain.
ALLAN DELL 6
Scrum looked solid with Dell on the pitch and the loosehead was alert to spilled balls.
SIMON BERGHAN 5
Played his part at the scrum. Gave away the penalty that all but ended the contest.
BEN TOOLIS 5
Did he do much? We couldn’t tell.
NICK HAINING NA
Not on long enough to rate.
CHRIS HARRIS 6
A brave performance for the substitute who might be being pushing for a starting spot next week. Townend must stop rewarding mediocrity in his backline.
