England player ratings vs Scotland | 2022 Six Nations
Scotland won consecutive Calcutta Cups for the first time since 1984 by claiming a tense 20-17 win at rainy Murrayfield.
A try from replacement scrum half Ben White plus a conversion and penalty from Finn Russell gave Scotland a 10-6 half-time lead.
Marcus Smith kicked two penalties before the break for the visitors then added a try and two further three-pointers after the restart.
However, a third Russell penalty plus a penalty try awarded by referee Ben O’Keefe when England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie deliberately knocked the ball into touch gave Scotland the spoils.
Following their fifth-place finish in the 2021 Six Nations this result piles the pressure back on Eddie Jones following their unbeaten Autumn Series which brought wins over Tonga, Australia and World Champions South Africa.
Jones’ team went into the opening round of action without a number of established faces including Owen Farrell, Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Anthony Watson, Jonny Hill and Courtney Lawes while Scotland lost Glasgow prop Jamie Bhatti to injury a few days prior to the game.
Having lost only one of the last four Calcutta Cup clashes and beaten Australia during November, Gregor Townsend’s team entered this year’s Six Nations with high hopes of building on a 2021 campaign in which they were a one-point loss to Wales and a three-point defeat by Ireland away from a Grand Slam.
15 FREDDIE STEWARD – 6
Typically reliable under the high ball until he spilled under no pressure at the start of the second half, but badly sliced a first-half clearance kick. Played his part in a cohesive defensive effort from England’s back three who saw plenty of high balls raining down on them in persistent rain.
14 MAX MALINS – 6.5
Saw plenty of the ball in the early stages as England’s back three sought to counter from deep. A neat inside ball almost created a try-scoring chance before Scotland’s cover defence swarmed across the field.
13 ELLIOT DALY – 6.5
Forced a turnover deep in Scotland territory with a thumping tackle direct from a restart. Had little front-foot ball in space but worked hard defensively.
12 HENRY SLADE – 7.5
In the absence of Manu Tuilagi the Exeter man wore no.12 and was asked to truck the ball into contact on more than one occasion, winning a penalty under the home posts in the third quarter.
His superb angled diagonal gave England a good attacking position only for his forwards to ship a penalty in the first half then another fine kick – this time off his weaker right foot – gave Stuart Hogg a heart-stopping moment just ahead of the hour mark.
11 JOE MARCHANT – 6
Charged Stuart Hogg down deep in his own 22 following Slade’s superb diagonal and looked perfectly at home playing out of position on England’s left wing despite seeing a lot less of the ball than his back three colleagues.
10 MARCUS SMITH – 7
Tasked with kicking his country’s points Smith started with a scuffed-but-successful penalty which brought a smile to his face and went on to miss only a tricky touchline conversion.
Showed he can mix his game to good effect but over-cooked a kick pass which would have left Max Malins with the easiest of walk-ins and missed touch with a penalty at a vital moment. Claimed a memorable try in the second half with a well-judged outside break.
9 BEN YOUNGS – 6
A typically sharp break from the base of a breakdown created a good chance which ended when Smith’s kick-pass missed its target.
His box kicking was not quite on point at times which, with England dominating possession, reduced the first half pressure on Scotland’s back three.
Took a good option to go blind and send Smith racing to the line for Engand’s second half try.
Yes @MarcuSmith10 ??
? @bbcone#SCOvENG | @SixNationsRugby pic.twitter.com/LaLlfKDX0h
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 5, 2022
1 ELLIS GENGE – 6
A couple of powerful first-half bursts followed neat handling combinations with fellow prop Sinckler. Penalised in contact to present Scotland with a 40-metre opportunity which Finn Russell accepted on the stroke of half-time.
2 LUKE COWAN-DICKIE – 5.5
Kicked possession away in the Scotland 22 following a turnover with plenty of space outside him. Connected consistently with his lineout jumpers on a wet night when accuracy was essential.
Was then at the centre of a match-turning moment when exposed under a cross-field kick pass and yellow carded for deliberately knocking the ball into touch in an incident which also cost England a penalty try.
What can you say ? pic.twitter.com/NhfcNrusVW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 5, 2022
3 KYLE SINKLER – 7
Prominent with ball in hand in the early stages and showed some deft touches. Disrupted a Scotland maul to win a turnover early in the second half. Not really required to scrummage in a contest which saw only five set-pieces prior to his departure on 63 minutes.
4 MARO ITOJE – 6
Always a threat to Scotland’s lineout ball. Got up quickly in defence to block Finn Russell’s intended kick ahead early in the second half but generally less prominent than usual in the loose.
5 NICK ISIEKWE – 5
Picked off in the defensive line by Darcy Graham for Scotland’s opening try then pinged for going across the lineout.
Otherwise played an important role in England’s lineout which functioned extremely smoothly.
DREAM DEBUT!
Ben White scores on his debut for @scotlandteam! ?
That footwork from Darcy Graham ?#SCOvENG #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/eRZ31PGHsY— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 5, 2022
6 LEWIS LUDLAM – 8
Used as England’s third lineout option and secured some useful front ball throughout the game. Also carried to good effect and won a penalty in contact with a powerful early burst.
7 TOM CURRY – 6
England’s first-time skipper delivered a typically industrious display without producing any showreel moments and probably shared the battle of the breakdown with Lions colleague Hamish Watson.
8 SAM SIMMONDS – 7
Carried hard from set plays with Ali Price feeling the full force of one such thrust and being temporarily sidelined for an HIA as a result.
REPLACEMENTS – 5.5
England changed their props, introduced Alex Dombrandt for Lewis Ludlam and perhaps surprisingly swapped George Ford for 17-point Marcus Smith shortly after the hour mark.
Comments on RugbyPass
Pot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
19 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
4 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
19 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
19 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
19 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
19 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
19 Go to commentsCouldnt agree more. SA sides need to show more committment and really have a go at the Champions Cup. Its quite possibly the most prestigious title in Europe and SA sides need to respect that prestige and serve up their best. EPCR needs to do more to ensure that sides from South Africa and sides travelling to and from SA have a better chance in this competition. The Bulls were put in a really difficult position of having to travel there and back in one week. One could argue that this is what the SA sides signed up for and that La Rochelle didnt complain or send out weakened sides despite having to travel to SA and back and play on successive weekends but surely the situation is also unfair on La Rochelle as well and so EPCR needs to think about successive gameweeks and the travel effect of the competition
19 Go to comments