Six Nations Review - Scotland 0 - 20 England

In this day and age of media-induced hysteria, we are used to having everything blown way out of proportion and ludicrously dramatised by the TV and papers prior to a sports event.  An annual league match between Arsenal and Liverpool is a life-and-death scenario which will probably determine the destiny of the human race, if Sky Sports are to be believed with their advertising.  The Ireland v Wales game was, in fact, a battle-for-honour grudge match between Brian O’Driscoll and Warren Gatland after the latter dropped the former for the last Test of the Lions tour, despite both men saying that it was water under the bridge and all they cared about was getting on with the game.  Yes, if the media can find a way to turn a rugby match into an episode of Eastenders, they’ll shove it right in your face.  And we love it.

Perhaps it was slightly unusual, then, that the match that can so easily be dramatised and hyped up out of proportion – Scotland v England – was not subjected to the usual pre-match obsession with the history of Anglo-oppression, but instead the focus was squarely on parasitic worms.  Yes, that’s right, parasitic worms.  The beasties that, as of last Autumn, said “no” to the Atkins diet and started greedily devouring the grass roots of the usually pristine Murrayfield pitch.  The result?  A mud bath.  I have to admit that this whole situation confused me a fair bit.  Why, if the Scottish RFU knew about this issue last Autumn, was a new ground not arranged to take this international – for example, Hampden Park in Glasgow.  It was mystifying.  The furore over the pitch even managed to overshadow Scottish coach Scott Johnson’s contentious decision to drop captain and talisman Kelly Brown in favour of a debutant, Chris Fusaro.  It was a move which smacked of a desperation to find a winning formula which could finally see the Scottish pack hit the vaunted reputation of their packs of old.  And where better to prove themselves, then at Murrayfield, in the mud, against England – at the very least, passion wouldn’t be a problem.

From the off, though, England seemed the more aggressive and accurate, although they weren’t immediately able to convert this into points, with Farrell missing a straightforward penalty on 3 minutes after his planting foot seemed to sink into the treacle-like surface of the Murrayfield pitch.  Perhaps the simple miss created a lack of confidence in the Saracens man, as at the next half-opportunity, Danny Care snapped a superbly taken drop goal himself from a rolling maul to give the visitors the lead their territory deserved.

It clearly was a difficult day for the place-kickers as the equally-reliable Greig Laidlaw hooked a shot wide after Dylan Hartley had been penalised for diving off his feet at a ruck, and things soon got worse for the hosts and England scored the game’s first try.  Once again, the rolling maul was catalyst, driving the men in white (well, muddy white) up to the 5 metre line before Danny Care darted, drew in Duncan Weir and created a hole for Luther Burrell to blast through and touch down for his second try in as many Tests.  Farrell nailed the conversion, and suddenly England looked very comfortable with a 10-0 cushion. 

It was a scrappy old contest, and after Laidlaw and Farrell had missed another penalty each, the Scots enjoyed a decent spell of possession.  The problem was, as is so often the case with Scotland, that they looked about as threatening as a bag of kittens, with Duncan Weir standing far too deep and with limited options on either side, with only Dave Denton offering any sort of thrust in attack.  It all resulted in Stuart Hogg kicking the ball away, allowing England to retain possession and gain territory via a couple of smart kicks by Care and a good turnover by Dan Cole.  The pressure ‘forced’ another penalty – although Jim Hamilton perhaps didn’t have to be so blatant in going off his feet  - that Farrell, this time, knocked over. 

The game trundled towards half time with the hosts enjoying slightly more possession, but they were struggling badly in the lineout with Ross Ford showing bad inaccuracy, and the English looked both comfortable in defence and far more dangerous in attack, with Chris Robshaw, Dylan Hartley and Billy Vunipola carrying strongly.  They nearly had another try on the cusp of half time as Farrell – a much more threatening presence at 10 this season – scythed through the Scottish defence and released Burrell, only for the Saints man to be hauled down superbly by Sean Lamont just 2 metres out.   The big winger then did just enough to kill the ball and the teams went into half-time with England leading by ‘only’ 13 points to nil.

If the first half had been a stodgy, error-ridden affair, hopes can’t have been high for the second period, but England came out firing, with Hartley, Burrell and Johnny May making good ground before Farrell’s crossfield kick went too far.  Scotland then responded in kind, with Matt Scott and Ryan Wilson carrying hard in the tight to build momentum before substitute Alisdair Dickinson spilt a simple pass.  In a game where scrummaging was creating a churned up crater of mud in the appalling Murrayfield surface, it was a relief both sides playing with renewed intent, although it was once again the visitors who looked by far the most dangerous.  May was growing into the game and a searing break after some marvellous footwork brought England close once again and earning Farrell another penalty shot, which he once again hooked wide.   The visitors were back hammering away immediately though, as a delightful Vunipola offload gave the visitors front foot ball before a fizzing pass from Billy Twelvetrees unleashed May once again.  Alex Dunbar made a superb last ditch tackle – as he had on May just moments earlier – but this time failed to roll away and received a yellow card for his troubles.

However, despite being a man down, the Scottish defence – especially in the pack – stood up and showed real aggression in the contact area, frustrating the English who tried time and again to maul their way over from close range.  It was only a matter of time though.  Mike Brown, who 5 minutes earlier had made a superb bust up the middle of the pitch, found himself wide on the left when Jack Nowell skipped out of Matt Scott’s tackle before drawing Stuart Hogg and releasing the Harlequins man in for a score.  It was all that Brown’s play had deserved, although his gloating at Duncan Weir as he plunged over was unnecessary and pointless.   Farrell’s conversion from almost right in front gave England a 20 – 0 lead that, in all honesty, was flattering on Scotland.

As the game meandered towards a conclusion, England remained camped in and around the Scottish 22, but the Scottish defence repelled the attackers from adding further gloss to the scoreline.  A slight sense of frustration, perhaps, for the men in white, but that couldn’t overcome the main sensation of satisfaction that they had got their Six Nations campaign back on track. 

A dominant display by the English, one that tees up a mouth-watering clash with in-form Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.  For the Scots though, it was brave, dedicated, but ultimately clueless.  At no time did they even look like coming close to threatening the England line. It’s sad to say, but the only thing in a bigger mess than the Murrayfield pitch right now is Scottish rugby itself.  And the latter may take a lot longer and prove to be even more troublesome to fix. 

 

Scotland Player Ratings

Stuart Hogg – 6 – Well marshalled and had little opportunity to shine.  At least looked positive with the ball in hand and kicked well.

Tommy Seymour – 5 – I saw him chasing a kick, once.  That was the extent of his contribution in an almost invisible display.

Alex Dunbar – 7 – I’m going to ignore the fact he got a yellow card because he had no choice at that point and saved a certain try.  Tackled himself to a standstill and made two crucial hits on May to prevent scores.

Matt Scott – 4 – Not the return the big centre would have wanted.  Couldn’t get into the game in attack and missed a basic tackle on Nowell in the build up to Mike Brown’s score.

Sean Lamont – 5 – A great tackle on Burrell to save a try in the first half was his main contribution, aside from a couple of brainless penalties which allowed the opposition to build pressure.

Duncan Weir – 3 – I like the kid, but his tactical kicking was awful and he stood far too deep in attack.  It’s difficult when your pack are second best but he really didn’t help the cause.

Greig Laidlaw – 4 – As a leader he should have been making the right decisions for his team but all too often he kicked the ball aimlessly away.  Was off target from the tee as well.

Ryan Grant – 6 – Acquitted himself well in the loose although he was second best against Cole in the scrum.  The conditions meant that it didn’t become too much of a problem, though, with neither side able to grip on the drive.

Ross Ford – 3 – What has happened to him?  He used to be an accurate set-piece operator with energy around the park – now he looks cumbersome in the loose and woefully out of sorts in the lineout.

Moray Low – 4 – Struggled in the scrum and didn’t contribute much in the loose, giving away needless penalties.

Jim Hamilton – 4 – Struggled to impose himself physically in the game and looked slow throughout the game, giving away the standard penalties he always does.

Tim Swinson – 5 – Bested in the lineout and lacked the power to resist the England pack when they sent their runners into him, but did win a good turnover in the second half.

Ryan Wilson – 4 – I do not understand why he would start ahead of Kelly Brown.  He lacked the physical strength to keep England’s runners at bay and was not a force at the breakdown.

Chris Fusaro – 6 – An awful game in which to make a debut but he did nothing wrong.  He got stuck in, made his tackles and covered the ground – although he failed to have the desired impact on the breakdown battle.

Dave Denton – 7 – An ever willing carrier, he was about the only runner that the English defence afforded respect to.  A mystery as to why he was taken off.

Subs Used

Scott Lawson – 5 – The lineout didn’t improve but acquitted himself well in the loose, which was an improvement from Ford.

Alasdair Dicksonson – 4 – Continued Scottish struggles in the scrum and his first contribution was to knock on in Scotland’s only promising attack of the second half.

Geoff Cross – No time to have an impact.

Jonny Gray – No time to have an impact.

Johnnie Beattie – 6 – Mobile and aggressive, he made some inroads when he came on and looked up for the scrap.  Shouldn’t have come on for Denton though.

Chris Cusiter – 5 – Did nothing wrong, but was stuck defending for the entire time he was on.

Duncan Taylor – No time to have an impact.

Max Evans – 5 – See entry for Chris Cusiter.

 

England Player Ratings

Mike Brown – 8 – As usual, a reliable presence under the high ball but it was his attacking play in terrible conditions that really caught the eye.  Very impressive – loses a point for unnecessary gloat at Weir when scoring.

Jack Nowell – 6 – A very quiet first half but became more involved in the second, showing good footwork and strength to set up Brown’s score.  Butchered an overlap moments before, though.

Luther Burrell – 6 – A very well-taken try and a great line for the second week in succession.  Was fairly quiet outside of that though, and will be disappointed with a couple of handling mistakes.

Billy Twelvetrees – 7 – I thought he had an average game before watching again.  He straightened the line well and some of his distribution – in the second half – caused all sorts of problems for Scotland.

Johnny May – 7 – Very quiet in the first period but came to life in the second 40 with a couple of searing breaks that justified his retention in the side.

Owen Farrell – 7 – Despite a disappointing showing with the boot, he had a very impressive day with the ball in hand.  He kicked well tactically and showed plenty of awareness of his attacking options.  Still unnecessarily petulant at times, though.

Danny Care – 7 – He had a great first half with his dart setting up Burrell’s try, a snap drop goal and some great touch-finders.  Faded in the second 40 though and some dodgy distribution ruined a couple of good chances for his side.

Joe Marler – 6 – Not as conspicuous as usual in the loose but a very solid showing nonetheless, getting on top in the scrum, too.

Dylan Hartley – 8 – Another excellent performance from the hooker, running a perfect lineout and hitting rucks with customary vigour.

Dan Cole – 7 – Had the upper hand in the tight and grabbed a couple of trademark turnovers, too.  Will be disappointed with a missed tackle of Beattie, though.

Joe Launchbury – 7 – Quietly effective once again, he was effective on the clearout although we haven’t seen him get his hands on the ball as much as he would like.

Courtney Lawes – 9 – A magnificent display from the Saints man.  Carried with purpose, ruled the lineout and caused all sorts of problems for the Scots in their set piece.  Defensively impressive, too.  Man of the Match.

Tom Wood – 6 – A quiet afternoon for the flanker, where he did a lot of the dirty work but couldn’t impose himself as much as he would like.

Chris Robshaw – 8 – Did everything, once again, and did it all very well indeed.  His awareness with and without the ball is remarkable.

Billy Vunipola – 8 – With an ever improving work rate, he is getting more and more impressive.  Always a willing ball carrier; always breaks the gainline.

Subs used

Tom Youngs – No time to have an impact (although the lineout did wobble after his introduction).

Mako Vunipola – 6 – Carried well and kept on with Marler’s good work in the set piece.

Henry Thomas – No time to have an impact.

Dave Attwood – 6 – Contributed well to a dominant forward display in the final quarter.

Ben Morgan – No time to have an impact.

Lee Dickson – No time to have an impact (although some poor service was noted).

Brad Barritt – No time to have an impact.

Alex Goode – No time to have an impact.

 

What else was happening in the Six Nations this weekend?

Ireland 26 – 3 Wales:  A Johnny Sexton tactical masterclass and a rampant Irish rolling maul helped make it 2 from 2 for the men in green.  Tries from Chris Henry and Paddy Jackson were the crown jewels in a high-class display that sees Wales’ hopes for a 3^rd consecutive title hanging in the balance.

France 30 – 10 Italy:  A 10 minute second-half blitz was enough for Les Bleus to take the game away from a plucky Italian side, with Louis Picamoles, Wesley Fofana and Hugo Bonneval crossing for the hosts.  Winger Tommaso Iannone grabbed a consolation for the Azzurri in a match which saw props Rabah Slimani and Michele Rizzo red carded for head-butting one another.  Typical props

It was also an eventful weekend in the Premiership.  Here’s a roundup of the weekend’s scores:

Sale Sharks 24 – 19 Gloucester:  The Sharks won a gritty encounter in Salford by 5 points and picked up a bonus point, with scores from Rob Miller(2) and Daniel Braid (2) proving too much for the Cherry and Whites, who crossed through Martyn Thomas and Charlie Sharples.

Worcester Warriors 22 – 23 Leicester Tigers:  The Warriors slipped to an agonising one point loss to the reigning champions despite a superb performance from Chris Pennell.  The hosts scored through Josh Drauniniu with the Tigers grabbing a couple through wing Niki Goneva.

Saracens 13 – 22 London Irish:  Irish sprang a huge shock by turning over top of the table Sarries on their home ground.  Marcelo Bosch and Shalk Brits scored for the home side, with Matt Parr, Alex Lewington and George Skivington touching down for the visitors.

Exeter Chiefs 16 – 19 Northampton Saints:  Saints picked up an important win away at the Chiefs to go top of the table.  Scrum half Dave Lewis scored the hosts’ only try with James Wilson, Samu Manoa and George Pisi responding for the East Midlanders.

Bath 24 – 6 Newcastle Falcons:  Bath claimed a solid win against Newcastle but will be frustrated that they didn’t pick up a bonus point.  The Falcons could only muster two penalties from Phil Godman, with Horacio Agulla, Leroy Houston and Francois Louw scoring for the West Country outfit.

Harlequins 11 – 10 London Wasps:  Harlequins snuck past Wasps in a tight encounter at the Stoop, relying on a late score from Sam Smith to take the game away from their London rivals, who had claimed a penalty try earlier.