Duhan van der Merwe scored a superb hat-trick as Scotland defeated England 30-21 at Murrayfield on Saturday to claim a fourth successive championship victory in the match for the first time since 1896.
Here’s how Telegraph Sport rated the two sides.
Scotland
15. Blair Kinghorn
Brilliantly achieved the first kick-off. Not always convincing in the aerial matches, but adds a lot as an athletic playmaker. 7/10
14. Kyle Steyn
Made a choice early on, but remains a resourceful member of this backline who does a ton of selfless, vital tricks. 7/10
13. How Jones
Isolated for England’s first try, through little fault of his own, before posting two excellent scores. Strong on defense, too. 8/10
12. Sione Tuipulotu
Would have been annoyed by England’s first try but responded with a deft, flat pass to Jones that set up a break. Eliminated just after half time. 6/10
11. Duhan van der Merwe
An unfavorable first touch was forgotten with two tries showing off his speed. His third was a walk-in. Late yellow card for tipping Freeman 9/10
10. Finn Russel
Understated but still excellent. Three conversions from outside, a beautiful kick pass to Van der Merwe and a quick restart that put England to sleep. 8/10
9. Am White
After an unusually loose pass from the base of a ruck during a frantic opening, the length of his clearance kicks calmed Scotland down. 7/10
1. Pierre Schoenan
Ford with a rag doll to lift Murrayfield at a key moment in the first half. Lasted until the beginning of the last quarter again 8/10
2.George Turner
A few wobbles in the lineout were offset by spear carrying and characteristic tenacity. Such a tough competitor. 7/10
3. Zander Fagerson
Scotland missed him while assessing his head injury, which reinforces his value. Equipped with a scrum penalty, but extremely durable and reliable 7/10
4. Grant Gilchrist
Striking thanks to his red scrum cap and a reassuringly powerful appearance. Pressurized Care pedals and was clean on restarts. 7/10
5. Scott Cummings
His team’s main goal in the lineout, beating back one misplaced throw, was also disruptive and tireless in defence. 8/10
6. Jamie Ritchie
Returned to the starting lineup and was generally crafty around the breakdown, although he was penalized once. 7/10
7. Rory Darge
The young co-captain punches well above his weight in the tackle and has been a liability around the ruck, often spoiling England’s fluidity. 9/10
8. Jack Dempsey
The third of Scotland’s busy, battling starters in the back row showed himself with verve and was always alert. The late choke tackle on Itoje was impressive. 8/10
Replacements
16. Ewan Ashman (on for Turner, 53), 17. Alec Hepburn (on for Schoeman, 61), 18. Elliot Millar-Mills (on for Fagerson, 7-18 and 62), 19. Sam Skinner (on for Gilchrist , 68) 20. Andy Christie (on for Ritchie, 53), 21. Geoge Horne (on for White, 63), 22. Ben Healy (on for Redpath, 73-76) 23. Cameron Redpath (on for Tuipulotu, 41 )
Millar-Mills struggled during a first-half cameo, conceding two penalties but returning to win one back. Redpath’s break inspired try number three before Christie and Ashman forced turnovers.
England
15. George Furbank
The try seemed to be an immediate vindication for Borthwick’s daring selection, but his leak resulted in Van der Merwe’s second try. Some promising glimpses and some horrendous mistakes. 5/10
14.Tommy Freeman
Good things happen when he gets the ball. The problem is that he doesn’t get the ball often enough. He needs to look for work like he does for Northampton. 6/10
13. Henry Slade
For such an aesthetically pleasing player, this was an ugly feat. Made a few turnovers and was smoked for Van der Merwe’s second try. 4/10
12. Ollie Lawrence
Perhaps unsurprisingly, in their first game together, they weren’t on the same page as Ford and Slade, either on offense or defense. Fell heavily after a tackle on Redpath that led to Scotland’s third try. 4/10
11. Elliot Daly
Nice hands for Furbank’s try and perhaps less error-prone than the rest of the backline. It still feels like he’s choosing the wrong attacking option. 6/10
10.George Ford
For better or for worse, he was the game’s most influential player. Didn’t appear on the same page as his outside backs and seemed symbolic of being hooked on Smith. 4/10
9. Danny Zorg
A sharp serve for the most part, but he was unable to control the play with the boot, kicking out flat and constantly being harassed with his boxing kicks. 4/10
1. Ellis Genge
Looked too eager to assert his scrum dominance, especially when Millar Mills came on and had a couple of free-kicks. A few thunderous carries. 6/10
2. Jamie George
Clearly an emotional event after the death of his mother. On point with his lineout throw until the steal led to Van der Merwe’s hat-trick score. 6/10
3. Dan Cole
As a collectible, he broke the profit line with a carry, which is not part of his job description. Provided a solid foundation during the scrum for England to work on. 6/10
4. Maro Itoje
You could see how excited he was during the anthems and was prominent as a ball carrier and defender, but he missed an X-factor moment. 6/10
5. Ollie Chessum
Symbolic of the team’s performance, he came up with a lineout steal and immediately gave the ball away. A mountain of work behind us. 6/10
6. Ethan Roots
Apart from one big hand-off it was fairly quiet and missed a few tackles. Expect George Martin to be eligible for the match against Ireland. 5/10
7. Sam Underhill
After years of being waylaid in this match at the breakdown, Underhill won the battle of the jackallers. However, he thinks that the back row needs a little more dynamics. 7/10
8. Ben Earl
There is no doubt that he is now the most important man in England. Finished as the game’s best tackler and ball carrier, even popping up in the centres. 8/10
Replacements
Theo Dan (for George, 68) 6, Joe Marler (for Genge, 61) 6 Will Stuart (for Cole, 55) 5, George Martin (for Roots, 46) 6, Chandler Cunningham-South (for Underhill 55) 6, Ben Spencer (for Care, 46) 6, Fin Smith (for Ford, 62) 6, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (for Slade, 62) 7