Share

England humble Scotland

Edinburgh - England got their Six Nations campaign back on track with a crushing 20-0 Calcutta Cup victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Luther Burrell and Mike Brown, as they'd done in defeat by France last weekend, both scored tries as the 132nd edition of international rugby union's oldest fixture saw Scotland rendered pointless by England for the first time since a 15-0 loss at Murrayfield in 1978.

Had not fly-half Owen Farrell missed several goalkicks, the final scoreline might have been even more lopsided.

"Losing to France last week was massively frustrating and we wanted to show a reaction this week," Brown told the BBC.

"We've definitely done that. I'm ecstatic to score a try. The pitch isn't in the best condition but I thought we played at a great tempo."

For Scotland, it was a match to forget, with replacement scrum-half Chris Cusiter admitting: "Nothing worked. We couldn't get anything going.

"It is massively disappointing. The setpiece was malfunctioning and the line-out wasn't going well.

"If that is not working then you won't win a Six Nations game."

Scotland made three changes from the side that opened the Six Nations with a 28-6 loss to Ireland last weekend, with Australia coach Scott Johnson controversially dropping captain Kelly Brown and giving his place at openside flanker to debutant Chris Fusaro.

Tommy Seymour replaced the injured Sean Maitland while Matt Scott was brought into midfield instead of Duncan Taylor.

Scrum-half Greig Laidlaw took over the captaincy from Brown.

England, whose first match in charge under coach Stuart Lancaster was a 13-6 win at Murrayfield two years ago, were unchanged following an agonising 26-24 loss to France in Paris.

The parasite-infested Murrayfield pitch was boggy even before driving rain during the game turned it into a quagmire.

And three minutes in Farrell lost his footing as he saw a 30 metre penalty attempt drift wide.

However, England were 3-0 in front minutes later when scrum-half Danny Care dropped a goal after gathering the ball out wide from a ruck.

Scotland then forced a penalty from a ruck turnover but Laidlaw pushed a 43 metre touchline effort wide.

England, with Care bossing his forwards effectively, won another penalty which Farrell kicked for a line-out barely 10 metres from Scotland's line.

From the ensuing catch and drive, England mauled before Care's well-timed pass sent onrushing centre Burrell in for a try.

The score stayed at 10-0 in England's favour as both Laidlaw, with a kick rebounding off the post, and Farrell missed penalties.

England were gaining ascendancy up front and Care's excellent cross-field grubber kick set up a line-out deep inside Scotland's 22.

Scotland hooker Ross Ford's wayward throw went over the head of intended recipient Jim Hamilton.

England regathered before a Scottish infringement gave Farrell an easy penalty chance which he duly kicked.

Shortly before half-time Burrell nearly had a second try when, following a break by Farrell, he took the ball on the burst only to be hauled down just short of the line by veteran Scotland wing Sean Lamont.

As it was, England turned round with a healthy 13-0 lead.

Not for the first time, Scotland -- rendered tryless for the second match in a row -- suffered from self-inflicted wounds, a promising position undone by a knock-on while missed tackles allowed England to gain ground.

Fortunately for Scotland, Farrell hooked a penalty wide and England were not yet out of sight.

But Scotland's task was made harder however when, after another brilliant run by May which ended with him hauled down short of the line, centre Alex Dunbar was sent to the sin bin for not releasing at the tackle.

With Scotland a man down, the second try England had been threatening arrived in the 58th minute.

Clever footwork saw wing Jack Nowell evade Scott's tackle before he rounded full-back Stuart Hogg and sent in Brown for a well-worked try.

Farrell converted and England were out of sight at 20-0.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
loading... Live
Mamelodi Sundowns 2
Sekhukhune United FC 0
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1843 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1810 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1100 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 470 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 261 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE