Rejuvenated Scotland sweep England aside in stunning Calcutta Cup win

Men’s Six Nations

Scotland (24) 31

Tries: Jones 2, Ritchie, White Cons: Russell 4 Pen: Russell

England (10) 20

Tries: Arundell, Earl Con: Ford Pens: Ford 2

Rampant Scotland bounced back from Six Nations defeat by Italy a week ago to blow England away in a bonus-point win in a pulsating Calcutta Cup at a riotous Murrayfield.

Orchestrated by the brilliant Finn Russell and playing with a ruthlessness that a shell-shocked England could not contain, the Scots were a team reborn.

Pelted with flak in the build-up to facing an England team looking for a 13th straight win and and a first in Edinburgh since 2020, Gregor Townsend’s previously beleaguered boys motored into a stunning 17-0 lead inside the opening quarter.

A penalty from Russell and tries from Huw Jones, Jamie Ritchie and Ben White were answered only by a converted Henry Arundell try and a George Ford penalty.

For Arundell, it was a hair-raising experience. England played 30-minutes with only 14 men due to the two yellow cards given to the wing in the first half. Scotland scored 14 points on the back of his first yellow.

Scotland led 24-10 at the break. Ford narrowed the gap with the boot early in the new half, but Jones added a second soon after when a George Ford drop goal attempt was charged down by Matt Fagerson and the centre ran 60 metres unopposed.

Scotland have an unfortunate history of going to sleep when ahead in games, but not this time. England had some moments of pressure but they were met with Scottish thunder on both sides of the ball.

Ben Earl scored late on to bring the gap down to 11. Not that it bothered Murrayfield all that much.

England, for all the improvements they have made, were sent rocketing back to the drawing board.

Scotland promised a big performance and they delivered an intensity, an accuracy and a ruthlessness that was totally absent in Rome.

They were utterly lethal in the opening minutes, Russell sending them on their way with an early penalty that was borne out of hard and direct rugby that England could not live with.

Another Scottish blast inside 10 minutes saw the first yellow for Arundell and it proved so damaging for England. While the wing was away, Scotland didn’t half play and Russell in full genius mode was at the heart of it.

After stretching the England defence to breaking, Russell then finished them, beating the blitz – Tom Roebuck sold himself in the midst of it – with a gorgeous one-handed flick on to Jones who sprinted around Maro Itoje to score.

They fly-half made it 10-0 and the promised Scottish reaction to Rome was being visited upon England. And there was more. Part of their woes in Rome was their lack of ruthlessness. Here, they fixed the problem.

In their next visit to England’s 22 they nailed their chance again, getting outside the defence with a speed and a skill-set of the highest class. Sione Tuipulotu flung a long pass out to Ritchie, standing free on the left wing, and the blindside scored with aplomb.

Russell made it 17-0 with just 14 minutes on the clock. Breathless and brilliant. England, heavy favourites, were getting blown away. That Arundel yellow cost them 14 points.

They got some joy at last. Their scrum, completely dominant, was key and their big runners took them deep into Scotland’s 22. The resistance held, but only for so long. Ford’s lovely delayed pass sent Arundell in. Quite a half for the wing.

Ford narrowed the gap to seven points soon after as England threatened to build up a head of steam. Their respite was dismantled in quick order when Scotland struck for their third score.

It was wonderful Russell invention once again that sparked it, the fly-half scampering down the short side, skipping past Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill and getting a kick while in the process of falling over.

Ellis Genge was in the back field and seemingly in control of the situation only to slide and let the ball fall loose. White was on to him like a shot and touched down for a smash-and-grab that sickened England. Russell added the extras – a 14-point game now.

Arundell’s calamity came just before the end of a pulsating half when he took Steyn out in the air. Second yellow and now a 20-minute red. England were in deep trouble.

Their scrum superiority brought them three more points early in a second half that began without Ritchie on one side and Sam Underhill. Both injured. On came Fagerson and Tom Curry and away we went.

England’s one area of joy was the scrum and their muscle in the set-piece saw Ford narrow the gap early in the second half. These were moments when Scotland had to dig deep.

England were getting on the front foot, but the Scottish defence held. More than that, they frustrated England. Going nowhere in the hosts’ 22. Ford opted to take an easy three with a drop goal in front of the posts.

It backfired. Fagerson was out like a bullet from a gun and charged down the kick, then scooped up the loose ball and fed Jones who galloped away with Scottish delirium ringing in his ears all the way.

Russell banged over the conversion and, incredibly, the underdogs were ahead by 18 points with a bonus point in the bank.

England emptied their bench, brought on any amount of heavy hitters, but could only manage a late, late try for Earl, converted by Ford. Scotland’s lead was 11 – and to the utter ecstasy of the home fans, it stayed that way.

Scotland: Jordan, Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu (capt), Dobie, Russell, White; McBeth, Turner, Z Fagerson, Brown, Cummings, Ritchie, Darge, Dempsey.

Replacements: Cherry, Schoeman, Millar-Mills, Williamson, M Fagerson, Horne, Hastings, Graham.

England: Steward; Roebuck, Freeman, Dingwall, Arundell; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Heyes, Chessum, Itoje, Pepper, Underhill, Earl.

Replacements: George, Rodd, Davison, Coles, Pollock, T Curry, Spencer, F Smith.

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)