To win big matches at international level you simply can’t make as many individual mistakes as England did in their defeat by Scotland on Saturday night at Murrayfield.
RUCK’s 2024 Guinness Six Nations content powered by ISUZU.
Duhan van der Merwe made history for Scotland by securing the first-ever Calcutta Cup hat-trick, propelling his team to a fourth consecutive Six Nations victory over England.
The formidable winger, who had already showcased his talent with two remarkable tries at Twickenham the previous year, outdid himself this time around.
While George Furbank and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso notched their maiden tries for England, it was Van der Merwe’s clinical display that stole the spotlight, aided by Finn Russell’s flawless kicking performance, which kept Scotland comfortably ahead in what proved to be a largely scrappy encounter.
“This is a painful experience for the team and for England supporters, and we will make sure we learn from it to be better in the future,” said Borthwick.
England made 24 handling errors and conceded 22 turnovers in a ragged display.
“When you make that number of handling errors at this level, it’s very difficult to win, especially against a team of Scotland’s quality.
“Ultimately we made it too easy for Scotland to score, but they were very clinical.
“It’s a huge lesson for our team as we develop. The number of turnovers made it very difficult to win.”
Looking ahead, here are five significant adjustments we believe Steve Borthwick should consider for the upcoming showdown with Ireland at Twickenham, following yet another subpar performance .
Isuzu Scratch-Card Game:
If you don’t win, don’t worry – you get 2 chances to win every day! Have another attempt by simply answering a quick question following your first unsuccessful scratch.
Don’t forget to come back every day to try and win big!
#1. Ollie Lawrence
Telegraph 4/10: “Perhaps unsurprisingly was not on the same page as Ford and Slade in both attack and defence in their first game together. Badly fell off a tackle on Redpath that led to Scotland’s third try.”
Planet Rugby 4/10: “Barely saw him in an attacking sense. A few carries, one bad pass, one dropped ball – although that was George Ford’s fault – but not the form we’ve seen in the Premiership.”
RUCK 5/10: “Not what the Bath centre would have wanted upon his return from injury. The powerhouse came alive with some clattering hits, yet threw a wayward pass into touch at 76 minutes that summed up his afternoon. So much more was wanted from England fans, who were excited to see him comeback.”
Replacement: Manu Tuilagi