Six Nations 2018: How England head coach Eddie Jones was outsmarted by Gregor Townsend
ENGLAND’S Grand Slam ambitions crashed and burned at Murrayfield as Gregor Townsend’s bravehearts delivered a seismic Six Nations shock.
Two tries from Glasgow centre Huw Jones and one from Sean Maitland brought Scotland’s first Calcutta Cup win for a decade and left Ireland five points clear at the top.
It was no more than the Scots deserved for a tenacious and at times thrilling performance which subjected Eddie Jones to only his second defeat in 26 Tests in charge.
As a player Townsend was a glorious gambler, prepared to fail in order to succeed. On Saturday he imbued his Scotland team with the same sense of daring, freeing them to run riot against England in an extraordinary opening period from which there proved no way back.
England went into the changing rooms 22-6 down after being horribly exposed and, hard though they fought after the break with two tries disallowed, it was too much to claw back with Sam Underhill sin-binned in the final quarter.
Pulling the strings was man of the match Finn Russell. Substituted against France a fortnight ago, the Glasgow fly-half rebounded with a thrill-a-minute display which kept England guessing and frequently chasing shadows.
It was from his chip after a quick lineout that Scotland’s pack undid England’s much-vaunted defence, allowing Jones to kick on for the first try in the 16th minute, his side’s first at home against England since 2004.
It never rains but it pours. Two more in seven minutes just before the break had the place in raptures. Maitland scored in the left corner from Russell’s pass after a scintillating move triggered from his own 22 by the fly-half with a superb ball to Jones.
This perfect delivery sent Jones on a 60-metre run from which the Scots worked the position for the Saracens wing to cross. Then Jones took a flat pass on halfway to split George Ford and Owen Farrell, then held off Mike Brown and Anthony Watson to score a magnificent individual try.
With Hamish Watson and John Barclay causing havoc at the breakdown, England were knocked out of their juggernaut stride. They regrouped at the interval and threatened a comeback as Farrell took a leaf out of Jones’s book to take Danny Care’s flat pass, burst through a hole and touch down with the second half only four minutes old.
Care thought he had scored after an interception but referee Nigel Owens ruled it out, having already blown for Joe Launchbury slowing the ball down at the ruck.
England had another breakaway try for Farrell chalked off for a knock-on by Courtney Lawes in a booming tackle by John Barclay Farrell had been involved in a tunnel scuffle before kick-off with Ryan Wilson and there was some on-field niggle involving the Scotland No 8 and opposite number Nathan Hughes.
It merely underlined Scotland’s determination to breathe life into rugby union’s oldest international fixture after their long fallow period. The Scots, who blew a golden chance moments later when Peter Horne broke through but wasted a three-man overlap with a poor pass to Watson, regrouped as England’s indiscipline proved their undoing.
Replacement Underhill, the hero against Wales with his match-saving cover tackle on Scott Williams, turned villain when he was sin-binned for a high shoulder charge on Jamie Bhatti in the 66th minute.
England and Scotland players clash before Six Nations match
With Greig Laidlow having been substituted, Russell knocked over the penalty to give Scotland breathing space. England drew a frustrating blank in the 10 minutes Underhill was absent, and when Stuart McInally won a turnover penalty under his own posts their race was run.
The last minute was played out to a deafening chorus of Flower of Scotland as England were denied even a bonus point.
SCOTLAND: Tries Jones (2), Maitland. Cons Laidlaw (2). Pens Laidlaw, Russell.
ENGLAND: Try Farrell. Con Farrell. Pens Farrell (2).