SRU respond to alleged bottle throwing incident that saw England staffer hit in head

Eddie Jones has criticised the hostile reception England received on arrival at Murrayfield after a member of his backroom staff was struck on the head by a plastic beer bottle.

England lifted the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2017 after defeating Scotland 13-6 in appalling conditions, but Jones was unhappy with the behaviour of home supporters before and during the Six Nations game at Murrayfield

Head of elite performance Neil Craig, Jones’ right-hand man, was hit by a bottle thrown off the gantry as players and staff entered the main building to jeering and obscene hand gestures.

And as a tense 138th meeting between the old rivals unfolded in treacherous swirling wind and rain, Owen Farrell was subjected to repeated booing while taking kicks at goal.

Hostile reception for England at Murrayfield. Eddie Jones’ right-hand man Neil Craig hit on the head by a plastic beer bottle thrown from the upper gantry… pic.twitter.com/mdiNIYRvKE

— Nik Simon (@Nik_Simon88) February 8, 2020

Jones had braced England for a “niggly” fixture in Edinburgh and the head coach was not disappointed at the end of a week in which aggressive language was exchanged between players.

“We weren’t expecting beer bottles to be thrown at us, so that’s a pretty good trick,” Jones said.

“That’s a pretty good achievement isn’t it, throwing beer bottles, You have to be pretty brave to throw a beer bottle. Neil has a hard head, I know that, and there is not much inside it!

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WATCH: Ireland head coach Andy Farrell and captain Johnny Sexton press conference following their victory over Wales in the Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

“It (an official complaint) isn’t going to do anything. Everyone knows about it so someone can do something about it.”

Addressing the jeering that greeted Farrell at the kicking tee, Jones said: “It’s not good behaviour… If that’s how the Scottish fans are going to be respectful we have to acknowledge it and just get on with it.”

An SRU spokesperson said: “An empty, plastic bottle landed near the team bus as England arrived. All the England players had already entered the stadium at that point.

“We had a bump in the road last week and everyone was writing us off, saying we weren’t good enough, saying that our coach should be sacked and that the boys were a different team from the World Cup" #SCOvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿https://t.co/m5gTREcc3v

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 8, 2020

“The matter was raised with the England team manager pre-match by a member of Scottish Rugby staff and an apology extended. There is no evidence the bottle was thrown or intended to hit any individual.”

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend stopped short of a issuing a full condemnation of the booing of the kicker, which is considered in the game to be bad sportsmanship.

“At a lot of venues around the world, the crowd will make noise,” Townsend said.

Eddie couldn't resist a parting shot. #SCOvENG #GuinnessSixNations 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿https://t.co/S2UPQb3DG6

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 8, 2020

“Speaking on behalf of Scottish Rugby we certainly stress that respecting the kicker is something we believe in.”

Ellis Genge’s 70th minute try was the decisive moment in a lottery of a game, while Farrell kicked a conversion and two penalties.

England next face Ireland in two weeks, with Andy Farrell’s team top of the standings after their victory over Wales in Dublin earlier on Saturday.

Scotland travel to Italy next after back-to-back defeats.

AAP