There is breathless talk about expanding the Six Nations but some things never change. This was a Calcutta Cup encounter straight out of the old-school catalogue, settled by the only try of the game 10 minutes from the end by the visitors’ replacement prop
Ellis Genge. The foul weather, in truth, was the real winner but the relief
England will feel after their French disappointment will be substantial.
Gone with the wind?
Scotland will feel that way, the conditions having led to their captain Stuart Hogg making the crucial misjudgement under his own posts that gave England their match-winning platform.
It was a day for close-quarters persistence, though, and Eddie Jones will be grateful to one player in particular. There is on ongoing debate about Tom Curry’s best position but on this occasion the number on his back did not matter on the grounds he was everywhere. Ably backed by Sam Underhill and Lewis Ludlam, the Sale back-rower was outstanding at the breakdown, giving the Scottish breakaway trio frequent spoonfuls of their own medicine, and did more than enough, on this occasion, to justify Jones’s faith in him at No 8.
England also had to stand collectively strong at times to avoid another bleak away day. It was hard to remember Flower of Scotland being sung so passionately, its emotional resonance about the only thing not instantly being blown into the Firth of Forth. Even a North Sea trawlerman would have winced at the forecast and pondered the wisdom of leaving his fireside. Pending the day they build a roof over Murrayfield it is all part of the game in northern climes but by any standards this was a test of character and resilience.
In this type of weather, nothing can be guaranteed and Owen Farrell, who missed three penalty attempts he would normally slot with his eyes closed, will be in no rush to re-watch those sections of the tape. The captain will, however, be pleased with the way his side found a way to avoid losing their opening two Six Nations games foir the first time since 2005.
The conditions were seriously difficult from the outset. George Ford, another to find kicking a devilishly tricky business, tried an up and under that threatened to blow back over his head like a skied drive at North Berwick and even straightforward midfield passes were thrown with more than a touch of trepidation. The big stands kept out the worst of it but Farrell’s first angled kick at goal fell ominously short and wide and even his second attempt from bang in front of the posts needed his full attention.
Whenever Scotland did start to exert some territorial pressure, however, it felt a different type of contest. England were indebted to both Maro Itoje and Curry for disrupting the home side just as they were starting to build some momentum and Scottish inaccuracy at lineout time provided some further relief.
It was by no means the easiest game to referee, either. Pascal Gaüzère was brutally harsh on the poor lineout throwers and clearly felt the best chance of some half-decent
rugby was to police the breakdown strictly but, elsewhere, chasing runners on both sides were given free rein to start from way in front of their kickers. As the game grew scrappier and scrappier and the rain began to intensify, the idea of playing in the Cape Town sunshine in February began to feel slightly less far-fetched.
The Six Nations, though, is not about artifice or easy options. The greater the challenge the more it matters and, like The Open Championship, a little bit of wind and rain is a great leveller. Another Farrell penalty attempt, this time from the right-hand side of the posts, failed to find its intended target and a slightly hasty Ford drop-goal attempt towards the end of the half was never in danger of succeeding either.
The importance of points, by whatever means available, grew ever more obvious. An excellent solo burst through the middle by prop Rory Sutherland put Scotland in excellent shape deep in the English 22 but when a penalty finally materialised there was no real question of kicking it to the corner. Adam Hastings popped over the close-range three-pointer and there was a rustle in the windswept press box to discover the last time there was a 3-3 draw between the sides in this fixture.
It actually happened twice in the 1960s but in the modern game there is normally a twist somewhere. As the third quarter wore on, it seemed England might be the likelier side to crack. Their tactical kicking game suddenly fell apart, with Willi Heinz, Ford and Elliot Daly all guilty of putting the ball out on the full. Suddenly it felt like a game neither side was particularly keen to lose, particularly the men in white.
But then came the decisive dagger. There was nothing majorly threatening about Ford’s little grubber straight down the middle but it refused to bounce up for Hogg who, for a second weekend in a row, found trouble suddenly lurking where none should have existed. After a nervy TMO deliberation the unfortunate full-back was ruled to have grounded the ball but also to have carried it over, giving England a five-metre scrum. It was the open invitation the visiting pack needed and the powerful Genge duly barrelled straight through the front door. Scotland have now gone six championship games without a win but English supporters, for the time being, can breathe again.