Skipper blasts Scots as 'useless' in England rout

London - Scotland captain John Barclay slammed his side as "useless" after they were routed 61-21 by England on Saturday, a defeat which handed their bitter rivals the Six Nations title.

"We are trying to move away from the tag of plucky losers but that wasn't even that. We were useless," fumed Barclay after England ran in seven tries to equal New Zealand's record of 18 successive wins by a 'tier one' nation.

Scotland had arrived in London bidding for the Triple Crown and with hopes of a first Twickenham victory since 1983 but instead they ended up conceding a record 40-point margin in defeat.

Barclay's mood was in stark contrast to the confidence of fullback Stuart Hogg just 24 hours earlier.

"We're not just going to lie down and get our bellies tickled, we're going to go out and try to get some victories," said Hogg.