England Edge Scotland 16-15 in Thrilling Six Nations Clash

England secured a hard-fought 16-15 victory over Scotland at Twickenham, regaining the Calcutta Cup and keeping their Six Nations title hopes alive.

England narrowly defeated Scotland 16-15 at Twickenham on Saturday, ending a four-match losing streak against their rivals and keeping their Six Nations title aspirations alive. Despite being outscored three tries to one, England's victory was secured by Finn Russell's uncharacteristic inaccuracy, as he missed all three conversion attempts, including the crucial one after Duhan van der Merwe's late try in the 79th minute.

The match was a thrilling encounter, with Scotland leading 10-7 at halftime courtesy of tries from Ben White and Huw Jones, which sandwiched Tommy Freeman's converted score for England. Van der Merwe continued to pose a significant threat to the England defense, setting the stage for a tense second half. Ultimately, England's slender advantage proved decisive, as they claimed their second consecutive one-point victory, following their 26-25 win over France.

England secured a hard-fought 16-15 victory over Scotland at Twickenham, regaining the Calcutta Cup and maintaining their Six Nations title hopes. Two penalties from Marcus Smith and a long-range effort from Fin Smith gave England a 16-10 lead with just 10 minutes remaining. However, Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe scored his seventh try against England, extending his own Scotland record in the fixture. Unfortunately for the visitors, Finn Russell's conversion attempt was wayward, ultimately proving decisive in the match.

The match began with Scotland taking an early lead, scoring within four minutes. A poor kick from England's Ollie Sleightholme gave Scotland possession, and Van der Merwe's impressive playmaking skills allowed him to skip past a defender and release Blair Kinghorn. Kinghorn found Tom Jordan, who delivered an excellent inside pass to send scrum-half Ben White in for a try. Russell's conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but Scotland's early pressure had paid off.

England responded quickly, however, with Tommy Freeman forcing his way past several defenders to score a close-range try. Marcus Smith's successful conversion gave England a 7-5 lead. Van der Merwe continued to pose a significant threat to the England defense, and in the 20th minute, he found Huw Jones with a well-timed pass. Jones exploited a narrow gap near the touchline to score his sixth try against England, equaling Van der Merwe's mark. Russell again missed the conversion, but Scotland regained the lead, 10-7, in an open and entertaining game.

England coach Steve Borthwick demonstrated his faith in the 'dual playmakers' strategy by retaining Fin Smith at fly-half and shifting Marcus Smith to full-back for the match against Scotland. This decision was made despite concerns that Marcus Smith might be exposed defensively in his new position. As anticipated, Scotland targeted Marcus Smith in defence, attempting to exploit any potential weaknesses.

However, Marcus Smith showcased his attacking prowess on the stroke of halftime with an impressive, slalom-style run that brought England close to Scotland's try-line. Unfortunately, Ollie Lawrence's subsequent reverse pass out of the tackle sailed over Ollie Sleightholme's head and into touch, ending the attacking opportunity. In the second half, Borthwick introduced veteran players Jamie George and Elliot Daly, as well as Chandler Cunningham-South, in an effort to bolster the team's forward pack and impact the match.

Victory in the Calcutta Cup 🏆#ENGvSCO | #GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/tG6MepPADL

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 22, 2025

The substitutions seemed to pay off, as England began to gain momentum. A penalty awarded to England after Kyle Rowe's high tackle on Ollie Chessum allowed Marcus Smith to tie the game at 10-10 with a 55th-minute penalty. England then took the lead for the first time in the match when Marcus Smith kicked a simple penalty in front of the posts in the 67th minute. Fin Smith, known for his long-range kicking ability, further extended England's lead to 16-10 with a penalty from just inside halfway, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the match.